Todd Monken spent Sunday trying to steady the room, repeating after the Browns’ 27-6 loss to the Steelers that his young Cleveland team had earned the right to be 5-3. It was a pointed message after a game that left the Browns beaten badly and watching Pittsburgh take sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
The reaction came fast the next day. Cleveland slid from No. 10 to No. 16 in FanSided’s weekly NFL power rankings, and national writer Jack Beckman identified a “big-boy running back” as the Browns’ biggest need with the NFL trade deadline set for Nov. 10.
That idea has some appeal on the surface. Cleveland managed only 34 rushing yards as a team against Pittsburgh, and Quinshon Judkins, while more productive lately, is still averaging just 3.4 yards per carry this season. Beckman suggested an upgrade could be coming, possibly something in the Jonathan Taylor mold.
“The Browns offense is lacking a couple of things: a consistent passing game, and an in-your-face running game that needs to be respected between the tackles,” Beckman wrote. “They don’t have any choice but to stick with Deshaun Watson right now, so the former isn’t going to change. But there are a handful of meaty, downhill-type running backs who could be available to help out the latter.
“Cleveland has a whole bunch of draft picks over the next couple of seasons to play with, so they definitely have the means to make a decently splashy move for a guy who’s not on an expiring contract. That’d be fun, right?”
But if the Browns are really going to use the trade deadline to help their playoff push, running back shouldn’t be the first place they look. Not even close.
The more pressing issue sits on the other side of the ball, where Cleveland’s run defense has started to crack. The Browns have fallen to 22nd in the NFL in opponent EPA per rush attempt, according to SumerSports, and they’re allowing 4.7 yards per carry, which ranks 25th entering Week 9.
That’s a bad stretch for a defense that should have more answers. Cleveland’s front seven does have playmakers, including elite linebacker speed from Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams, plus efficient interior pass rush from Maliek Collins and Mason Graham. What it doesn’t have right now is a true run-stuffing defensive lineman, and that absence is showing up more and more.
The results have been ugly. The Browns have now given up a 100-yard rusher in three straight games. They’ve also allowed a running back to top 80 yards in every game except the opener, when the Jaguars were already up 28-0 in the second quarter and started spreading the carries around after halftime.
So while a splashy offensive addition would make for a fun headline, the more urgent fix is on the defensive line. A player like Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea would fit the bill, and A’Shawn Robinson was also mentioned as a possible deadline target for teams looking for help up front. ESPN’s Matt Bowen described Robinson as “a powerful run defender who can play as a 1-technique nose or 3-technique defensive tackle.”
That kind of body is what Cleveland needs most right now. The Browns’ defensive line has been hit by injuries and lacks a true nose tackle, and the offense could also use more physicality in the run game through a more traditional inline blocking tight end.
For all the talk about Judkins and Dylan Sampson, the Browns already have a cost-controlled backfield duo that should keep growing within the offense. What they really need is more force in the trenches on both sides - the kind of blocking and gap-stuffing that can give them a real shot at a playoff run in the second half of the season.
In Other News...
Browns Suddenly Have A First Round Twist Fans Need To Watch
The Browns have given themselves a very different kind of draft conversation this fall, one shaped more by wins than by the usual search for a top pick. Because of the extra first-round selection they got from the Los Angeles Rams, Clevelands 2027 draft outlook is suddenly crowded near the same part of the board, with the two clubs sitting close together in the opening round.
For a team that has spent plenty of time in the draft lottery conversation, that kind of setup is worth watching. The current 2027 order already reflects a few traded picks around the league, and the Browns own spot is now lined up just behind the Rams, creating a twist that could matter if the front office starts thinking beyond the weekly grind and toward how those first-round assets might be used. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Got A Real AFC North Opening To Exploit
Lamar Jacksons thumb injury has changed the shape of the AFC North in a hurry, and it comes at a time when the Browns are still hanging around despite their loss to Pittsburgh. Baltimores offense has been built around Jacksons ability to carry games and keep pressure on the rest of the division, so any extended absence would ripple well beyond one roster and into the race Cleveland is trying to stay in.
For the Browns, the timing matters because they are not out of the picture, and they have the kind of draft capital that can make the next few weeks interesting. With the trade deadline approaching, Cleveland has room to consider adding help if it wants to press its advantage while the division is suddenly less stable than it looked a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Offense Just Put Clevelands Discipline Problem In The Spotlight
Kevin Stefanski did not try to pin Sundays offensive mess on one player or one breakdown. After the Browns absorbed eight sacks in a recent loss, the head coach pointed to a broader problem, saying the issues stretched from protection to play calling and even into the run defense. For a team sitting at 5-3, the frustration is less about one bad afternoon than the way a promising season can get tugged off course by lapses in discipline and execution.
Stefanskis message was plain: the responsibility is collective, and the fix has to be, too. He said there is room for the Browns to improve and move forward, but only if they learn from a performance that left too many openings for the opponent. That leaves Cleveland with a familiar midseason challenge, turning an ugly loss into something useful before the mistakes start to define the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]