Offical Report: Browns QB Joe Flacco Of The Cleveland Browns Have Been Warned Due To….

The 2024 offseason has been one of the busiest in the NFL in recent history.

Nearly every team will look significantly different than it did last year, as most have added or lost at least several key players.

The 2024 offseason has been one of the busiest in the NFL in recent history.

Nearly every team will look significantly different than it did last year, as most have added or lost at least several key players.

The Cleveland Browns, for instance, have added a new starting wide receiver, a top backup quarterback, and a number of key defensive players.

The 2024 offseason has been one of the busiest in the NFL in recent history.

Nearly every team will look significantly different than it did last year, as most have added or lost at least several key players.

The Cleveland Browns, for instance, have added a new starting wide receiver, a top backup quarterback, and a number of key defensive players.

However, it’s arguable that no team will look more different than the Browns’ AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The main difference is that the Steelers will have a completely different quarterback room than they did last year.

Browns legend Bernie Kosar recently took to Twitter to share his opinion of the big change-up for the Steelers.

The shakeup started when the Steelers went out and signed recently released former Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

They also parted ways with all three of their quarterbacks from last year, including Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph.

To top things off, the Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears in a trade on Saturday.

Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but he didn’t live up to the hype for the Bears, which is why they ultimately decided to part ways with him.

As such, the Steelers QB room is completely revamped, and should be a significant improvement from last year, especially if you believe Kosar’s tweet.

The addition of Fields and Wilson is indeed bad news for the rest of the AFC North, as having a solid starting quarterback was the only thing holding the Steelers back from being a legit AFC contender last season.

FREE AGENCY EDITION: The Cleveland Browns re-signed their key free agents on the defensive line and got an upgrade; a look at Nyheim Hines’s role with the Browns and Kevin Stefanski not taking half-measures in changing the offensive staff.

The Cleveland Browns have been active during the legal tampering period and are now into the NFL’s official league year. They traded for Jerry Jeudy and immediately filled one of their more significant needs before free agency began. General Manager Andrew Berry was able to sign Za’Darius Smith, Maurice Hurst, Shelby Harris, and Quinton Jefferson by the end of the day on Thursday, solidifying the Browns’ defensive line rotation. With Smith, Harris, and Hurst all as free agents, the Browns needed to fill three rotational spots at defensive tackle and secure a starting EDGE to start opposite Myles Garrett.

Smith and Harris are both established veterans, so there was some concern that they may want to wait until after the Draft and closer to the season to sign with a team. Playing the waiting game with a free agent can put general managers in a difficult spot, potentially limiting moves in free agency for concern about the unknown at other positions. Berry was able to nail down a deal with Smith on the first day of the legal tampering period.

Smith was the most important free agent signing of this year’s offseason. He was excellent last season, setting the edge, stopping the run, and getting pressure on the quarterback at both the EDGE and defensive tackle positions. His ability to kick inside on obvious passing downs allows the Browns to deploy Ogbonnia Okoronkwo off the EDGE without taking Smith off the field.

His statistical output of 5.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 27 tackles, and a forced fumble do not adequately portray his impact on and off the field. He immediately bought into what the Browns were cultivating off the field, taking on a salient leadership role. On the field, he finished 23rd in total pressures (61) and helped Cleveland’s pass rush grade at PFF improve from eighth in 2022 (75.4) to first in 2023 (91.3). The re-signing of Smith cannot be overstated as he chooses to sign a two-year deal and return to Cleveland, where he believes they are building something consequential.

“There’s something special brewing here in Cleveland… Last year was the start of it, and I’m just so happy to be able to come back… Happy that I get a chance to continue my career here in Cleveland,” said Smith after signing his new contract.

Another hopeful Browns objective in free agency was to bring back Hurst and Harris while finding an upgrade over Jordan Elliot. They secured Hurst and Harris’s return in the first two days of free agency. Berry then signed veteran Quinton Jefferson to take Elliot’s place in the defensive tackle rotation. Jefferson is in his ninth year and brings additional versatility to the group as he can kick outside when needed, allowing for a further variety of looks from which the Browns defense can attack. He is highly productive and was having a terrific season in New York when he injured his groin, ending his season. He had a career-high six sacks and 34 tackles in 2023 before his season was cut short.

While mostly running it back, the defensive line is better with the addition of Jefferson and another year of experience for younger edge rushers and defensive tackles on the roster. The most important move was bringing Smith back, as he makes it all work for this defensive front, and Jefferson fills out a rotation of excellent interior defensive line players.

Nyheim Hines To Play Role With or Without Chub

The Browns signed a one-year deal with running back Nyheim Hines. Hines was poised to be a major weapon in Buffalo a year ago before he was hit in a freak Jet ski accident, ending his season before it started. In July of last year, Bills running backs coach Kelly Skipper talked about Hines, “He’s definitely explosive, but you’ll see him a little more experienced in the run game…We showed him off in the pass game mostly. Now, he can function in anything we do.”

Buffalo traded for Hines at the trade deadline in 2022, and he returned two kicks for touchdowns in the game after Damar Hamlin was tragically injured on the field. He was used in the passing game, but the Bills felt he could be a bigger part of their offense heading into his first whole season with the