2016 Cleveland Browns season

2016 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach	Hue Jackson
General manager	Sashi Brown[1]
Owner	Jimmy Haslam
Home field	FirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record	0–12
Division place	4th place AFC North
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

The 2016 Cleveland Browns season is the franchise's 68th season as a professional sports franchise, its 64th season as a member of the National Football League and the first under head coach Hue Jackson and de facto general manager Sashi Brown. The Browns started the season 0–12, their worst 12 game start in franchise history. They clinched a losing record for a franchise record ninth straight season, failed to make the playoffs for a franchise record fourteenth consecutive season, and set a franchise record 15 straight losses dating back to their final three games of the previous season. The Browns are also the first team to start 0–12 since the Indianapolis Colts in 2011.

Offseason

Front office changes

On January 3, just hours after the Browns' final game of the 2015 season, the team fired general manager Ray Farmer, who had been the general manager the past two seasons.^[2] Team owner Jimmy Haslam also announced that the team's general counsel Sashi Brown would become the team's vice president of football operations.^[3]

On January 5, the Browns hired former New York Mets executive Paul DePodesta to be their chief strategy officer. DePodesta brings over 20 years of experience in the Major League Baseball front offices, but has never held an executive position in the NFL before this.^[4]

On March 4, the Browns announced the resignation of team president Alec Scheiner, effective March 31.^[5]

Coaching changes

On January 3, the Browns fired head coach Mike Pettine. In two seasons with the Browns, Pettine had a record of 10-22, but went just 4-19 after a 6-3 start to the 2014 season.^[2]

On January 13, the Browns hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as head coach. Jackson was the Bengals' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons and was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011, in which they posted an 8-8 record.^[6]

Roster changes

Free agents

Pos	Player	Tag	2016 Team	Signed
SS	Johnson Bademosi	UFA	Detroit Lions	March 10[7]
WR	Travis Benjamin	UFA	San Diego Chargers	March 9[8]
ILB	Tank Carder	UFA	Cleveland Browns	March 7[9]
K	Travis Coons	ERFA	Cleveland Browns	April 4[10]
QB	Pat Devlin	RFA
FS	Tashaun Gipson	UFA	Jacksonville Jaguars	March 9[11]
WR	Darius Jennings	ERFA	Cleveland Browns	April 6[12]
OLB	Cam Johnson	ERFA	Cleveland Browns
FS	Don Jones	UFA	Cleveland Browns	March 17[13]
C	Alex Mack	UFA	Atlanta Falcons	March 9[14]
DE	Jamie Meder	ERFA	Cleveland Browns	March 7[9]
T	Darrian Miller	ERFA
RB	Raheem Mostert	ERFA	Cleveland Browns	March 7[9]
G	Austin Pasztor	RFA	Cleveland Browns	April 4[15]
WR	Terrelle Pryor	UFA	Cleveland Browns	March 17[16]
LB	Craig Robertson	UFA	New Orleans Saints	March 22[17]
T	Mitchell Schwartz	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	March 9[18]
ILB	Scott Solomon	RFA

Releases

Pos	Player	Released	2016 Team	Signed
WR	Dwayne Bowe	March 16[19]
LB	Karlos Dansby	March 16[20]	Cincinnati Bengals	March 29[21]
QB	Johnny Manziel	March 11[22]
SS	Donte Whitner	April 2[23]
WR	Brian Hartline	May 23

Signings

Pos	Player	2015 Team	Signed
G	Alvin Bailey	Seattle Seahawks	March 11[24]
LB	Demario Davis	New York Jets	March 16[25]
QB	Robert Griffin III	Washington Redskins	March 24[26]
S	Rahim Moore	Houston Texans	March 16[27]
LB	Justin Tuggle	Houston Texans	March 11[28]

2016 draft class

2016 Cleveland Browns Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	15	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
2	32	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
3	65	Carl Nassib	DE	Penn State
	76	Shon Coleman	T	Auburn
	93	Cody Kessler	QB	USC
4	99	Joe Schobert	OLB	Wisconsin
	114	Ricardo Louis	WR	Auburn
	129	Derrick Kindred	FS	TCU
	138^	Seth DeValve	TE	Princeton
5	154	Jordan Payton	WR	UCLA
	168	Spencer Drango	T	Baylor
	172^	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
	173^	Trey Caldwell	CB	Louisiana–Monroe
7	250	Scooby Wright III	ILB	Arizona

Notes

• The Browns traded their original 1st round selection (No. 2) to the Philadelphia Eagles for the Eagles' 1st (8), 3rd (77), and 4th (100) round selections, as well as the Eagles' 1st round selection in 2017 and 2nd round selection in 2018.

• The Browns would then trade the No. 8 and its 6th round (176) selection to the Tennessee Titans for their 1st (15) and 3rd (76) round selections and a 2nd round selection in 2017.

• The Browns traded their 3rd (No. 77) and 5th (141) round selections to the Carolina Panthers for their 3rd (93), 4th (129), and 5th (168) round selections.
• The Browns traded their 4th round selection (No. 100) to the Oakland Raiders for their 4th (114) and 5th (154) round selections.
• The Browns traded their 7th round selection (No. 223) to the Miami Dolphins for their 7th round selection (250) and CB Jamar Taylor.
• ^As the result of a negative differential of free agent signings and departures that the Browns experienced during the 2015 free agency period, the team received three compensatory selections for the 2016 draft:^[29] selection 138 in the fourth round, and selections 172 and 173 in the fifth round. Free agent transactions that occurred after May 12, 2015 did not impact the team's formula for determining compensatory selections for the 2016 draft.^[30]

Josh Gordon's reinstatement and rehab

On April 1, wide receiver Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement following an indefinite suspension by the NFL due to repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy, causing him to miss the entire 2015 season. On April 11, it was revealed that Gordon had failed another drug test, and on April 12, the league announced that Gordon's appeal had been denied. He was eligible to reapply on August 1.

On July 25, the NFL announced that Gordon would be reinstated on a conditional basis, and can stay with the team during a four game ban to begin the season.

On September 29, Gordon announced his intention to step away from football and enter an in-patient rehab facility.

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 12	at Green Bay Packers	L 11–17	0–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
2	August 18	Atlanta Falcons	L 13–24	0–2	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
3	August 26	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–30	0–3	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	September 1	Chicago Bears	L 7–21	0–4	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Kickoff (ET)	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
1	September 11	1:00 p.m.	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 10–29	0–1	Lincoln Financial Field	CBS	Recap
2	September 18	1:00 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	L 20–25	0–2	FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS	Recap
3	September 25	1:00 p.m.	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–30 (OT)	0–3	Hard Rock Stadium	CBS	Recap
4	October 2	1:00 p.m.	at Washington Redskins	L 20–31	0–4	FedEx Field	CBS	Recap
5	October 9	1:00 p.m.	New England Patriots	L 13–33	0–5	FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS	Recap
6	October 16	1:00 p.m.	at Tennessee Titans	L 26–28	0–6	Nissan Stadium	CBS	Recap
7	October 23	1:00 p.m.	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 17–31	0–7	Paul Brown Stadium	CBS	Recap
8	October 30	1:00 p.m.	New York Jets	L 28–31	0–8	FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS	Recap
9	November 6	1:00 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	L 10–35	0–9	FirstEnergy Stadium	Fox	Recap
10	November 10	8:25 p.m.	at Baltimore Ravens	L 7–28	0–10	M&T Bank Stadium	NFLN	Recap
11	November 20	1:00 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 9–24	0–11	FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS	Recap
12	November 27	1:00 p.m.	New York Giants	L 13–27	0–12	FirstEnergy Stadium	Fox	Recap
13	Bye
14	December 11	1:00 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals			FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS
15	December 18	1:00 p.m.	at Buffalo Bills			New Era Field	CBS
16	December 24	1:00 p.m.	San Diego Chargers			FirstEnergy Stadium	CBS
17	January 1	1:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh Steelers			Heinz Field	CBS

Notes

• Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
• Networks and times for Weeks 15 and 17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Philadelphia Eagles

The Browns opened their 2016 regular season with a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, whom the Browns had passed up in the 2016 draft. Wentz and the Eagles made the Browns regret their decision as they won 29–10. With the loss, the Browns started the season 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Browns scored on their first three drives and led 20–0 early in the first quarter. The 18 point lead at the end of the first quarter was the Browns' largest lead after the 1st quarter since 1960. However, the Browns' offense stalled the rest of the game. The Ravens would score the final 25 points of the game to win 25–20. The Browns had a chance to score a go ahead touchdown on a drive with less than a minute to play, but things went wrong after a controversial taunting penalty was called on Pryor following his catch at the Ravens' 10-yard line with under 30 seconds to play. McCown would throw an interception on the next play to seal the loss. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–2.

Their regular season losing streak extended to 5.

Week 3: at Miami Dolphins

Cody Kessler made his debut as the Browns' starting quarterback. The Browns led 13–10 at halftime. However, the Dolphins scored two consecutive touchdowns to go up 24–13 early in the fourth quarter. The Browns, sparked by Pryor, rallied to tie the game. The Dolphins attempted a game winning drive in the final minute of regulation. However, Dolphins QB, Ryan Tannehill, fumbled the ball, and the Browns secured possession. The Browns had a chance to win it at the end of regulation. However, recently signed Browns kicker, Cody Parkey, missed the 46-yard field goal, sending the game to overtime. It was his third miss of the day. Both teams traded punts on their opening possession in overtime. On their second possession, the Dolphins, who got the ball around midfield to start the drive, reached the endzone after a few plays and won the game. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–3 and remained in 4th place in the AFC North.

This would also be the team's sixth straight regular season loss dating back to last season.

Week 4: at Washington Redskins

The Browns came to Washington for a matchup against the Redskins. The Browns had a 20–17 lead going into the fourth quarter but the offense once again stalled with a Josh Norman pick and two touchdowns by the Redskins' offense would drop the Browns to 0–4 for the first time since 2012. Wins by the Jaguars, Bears, and Saints would make the Browns the only team in the NFL without a victory through Week 4.

The team's losing streak increased to 7.

Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

With Tom Brady back from his four-game suspension due to his alleged role in Deflategate, the Browns hosted the Patriots in a duel game. The game turned out to be a disaster for the Browns as Brady and the Pats stormed the Browns defense, dropping the Browns to 0–5. This was the second consecutive season a team started 0–5, after the 2015 Detroit Lions. This is the team's first start with such a record since 2012. It is also the team's eighth straight loss, dating back to the 2015 season.

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

With the loss, the Browns dropped to 0–6 and became the first NFL team to start 0–6 since the Oakland Raiders in 2014. It was the Browns' first 0–6 start since the 1999 season. It is also the Browns' ninth consecutive loss dating back to Week 15 of last season.

Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals

With their fourth straight loss to the Bengals, the Browns started 0–7 for the first time since 1999 and became the first NFL team to start 0–7 since the 2014 Raiders.

Their regular season losing streak now sits at 10.

Week 8: vs. New York Jets

Hoping to stop a 10-game losing streak dating back to last year, the Browns hosted the Jets in an AFC duel. The Browns led 20–7 at halftime. However, they gave up 24 unanswered points to fall behind 31–20 in the 4th quarter. They also committed two turnovers in the 4th quarter. The Browns scored late in the 4th quarter to cut the deficit to 31–28, but a comeback could not be secured as the Jets secured the onside kick, ran out the clock, and dropped the Browns to 0–8. It was only their second 0–8 start in franchise history and the first 0–8 start since the 1975 season. With the loss, the Browns failed to have a winning record for the ninth consecutive season. They also tied a franchise record (first set in between the 2011 and 2012 seasons) for most consecutive losses (11) in franchise history. They would also be the first team to start 0–8 since the 2014 Raiders.

Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Attempting to stop their 11 game losing streak, the Cleveland Browns hosted the Dallas Cowboys (led by rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott who had impressive performances during the year). The Cowboys routed the Browns 35–10. With the loss, the Browns dropped to 0–9 for the first time since 1975 and clinched their 9th consecutive losing season. They also lost their 12th consecutive game dating back to the end of the previous season, setting a new franchise record for most consecutive losses.

Week 10: at Baltimore Ravens

Trying to halt their 12-game losing streak that had started back during the 2015 NFL season, the Browns traveled to Baltimore to play against the Baltimore Ravens who beat them in Week 2. This was the Browns' only prime time game this year. The Browns led 7–6 at halftime, but the Ravens dominated the second half, outscoring them 22–0 and winning 28–7. The seven points scored by the Browns represented their fewest points scored in a game this season. With the loss, the Browns fell to 0–10. It was their worst 10-game start in franchise history. They also lost their 13th consecutive game, extending their current franchise record for most consecutive losses. They are also the first team to begin the season 0–10 since the 2014 Oakland Raiders. On the following Sunday, the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs won their games, which mathematically eliminated the Browns from the wild card race.

Week 11: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Browns hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were coming off a loss against the Cowboys. The Steelers defeated the Browns 24–9, dropping the Browns to 0–11. With the loss, the Browns were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention for the 14th consecutive season. For the second consecutive season, they were the first NFL team to be mathematically eliminated from contention. The Browns have now gone 24 consecutive seasons without winning a division title, extending the longest active streak in the NFL. They also extended their current franchise record for most consecutive games lost to 14 games. The team is also the first team to start 0–11 since the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

Week 12: vs. New York Giants

The Browns took on the Giants who were on a five-game winning streak and were coming off their 22–16 win over the Bears, but the Browns suffered their 12th straight loss this season due to three touchdown passes by Eli Manning to Odell Beckham Jr. and a fumble return by Jason Pierre-Paul for a touchdown. The Browns extended their current franchise record for most consecutive losses. They have now lost 15 straight games dating back to their Week 14 win in 2015 over San Francisco.

The team went into their bye week at 0–12. They would be the first team to start with such a record since the 2011 Colts.

Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Still attempting to win their first game of the season, the Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 7 loss rematch.

Standings

Division

AFC North
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Baltimore Ravens	7	5	0	.583	4–0	7–2	256	207	W2
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	5	0	.545	2–1	5–3	266	222	W2
Cincinnati Bengals	4	7	1	.375	1–2	3–5	245	259	W1
Cleveland Browns †	0	12	0	.000	0–4	0–8	197	352	L12

Conference

AFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	New England Patriots	East	10	2	0	.833	3–1	7–1	.414	.370	W3
2	Oakland Raiders	West	9	2	0	.818	2–1	6–1	.508	.470	W5
3	Baltimore Ravens	North	7	5	0	.583	4–0	7–2	.439	.257	W2
4[lower-alpha 1]	Houston Texans	South	6	6	0	.500	3–0	4–4	.541	.448	L3
Wild Cards
5	Kansas City Chiefs	West	9	3	0	.750	3–0	6–2	.479	.455	W1
6	Denver Broncos	West	8	4	0	.667	1–3	5–3	.525	.448	W1
In the Hunt
7	Miami Dolphins	East	7	5	0	.583	2–1	5–4	.415	.321	L1
8[lower-alpha 2]	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	6	5	0	.545	2–1	5–3	.521	.388	W2
9[lower-alpha 2]	Buffalo Bills	East	6	5	0	.545	1–3	3–4	.467	.364	W2
10[lower-alpha 1]	Tennessee Titans	South	6	6	0	.500	1–3	3–5	.439	.333	W1
11[lower-alpha 3]	Indianapolis Colts	South	5	6	0	.455	2–2	3–5	.484	.411	L1
12[lower-alpha 3]	San Diego Chargers	West	5	6	0	.455	1–3	4–5	.566	.500	W1
13	Cincinnati Bengals	North	4	7	1	.375	1–2	3–5	.561	.294	W1
14	New York Jets	East	3	8	0	.273	1–2	3–5	.504	.353	L3
Eliminated from postseason contention
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	2	10	0	.167	1–2	1–8	.529	.318	L7
16	Cleveland Browns	North	0	12	0	.000	0–4	0–8	.576	.000	L12
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 4]
1 2 Houston wins tie break over Tennessee based on head-to-head win percentage. 1 2 Pittsburgh wins tie break over Buffalo based on best win percentage in conference games. 1 2 Indianapolis wins tie break over San Diego based on head-to-head win percentage. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

Staff

Cleveland Browns staff
	Front Office Owners – Jimmy and Dee Haslam Chief Strategy Officer – Paul DePodesta Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Sashi Brown Vice President, Player Personnel – Andrew Berry Vice President, Player Personnel - Ken Kovash Vice President, Football Operations - Phil Dangerfield Director of Football Administration - Chris Cooper Director of Research & Strategy - Kevin Meers Director of Player Personnel - Chisolm Opara Director of College Scouting - Bobby Vega Director of Pro Scouting - Dan Saganey Director of Scouting - Mike Cetta Assistant Director of Scouting - Glenn Cook Special Advisor – Jim Brown Head Coaches Head Coach – Hue Jackson Associate Head Coach - Offense/QBs – Pep Hamilton Offensive Coaches Sr. Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers – Al Saunders Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator – Kirby Wilson Tight Ends – Greg Seamon Offensive Line – Hal Hunter Assistant Offensive Line - Mark Hutson Offensive Quality Control/Assistant WRs – Bob Saunders Offensive Quality Control/Assistant RBs - Rock Cartwright			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ray Horton Defensive Line – Robert Nunn Assistant Defensive Line - Ken Delgado Outside Linebackers – Ryan Slowik Inside Linebackers – Johnny Holland Defensive Backs – Louie Cioffi Assistant Defensive Backs – Cannon Matthews Defensive Quality Control - Eric Sanders Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Chris Tabor Special Teams Assistant – Shawn Mennenga Special Teams Quality Control - Stan Watson Strength and Conditioning Director, High Performance - Adam Beard Strength and Conditioning Coordinator - Evan Marcus Strength and Conditioning Coordinator - Jason Veltkamp Assistant Stength/Skill Development - Joe Kim Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Derik Keyes Assistant Strength and Conditioning - Art Tolhurst Sports Scientist - Jamey Mroz Strength and Conditioning Intern - Ian Jones → Coaching Staff → Management → More NFL staffs
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LA SF SEA

Current roster

Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks  8 Kevin Hogan  6 Cody Kessler 13 Josh McCown Running backs 25 George Atkinson III 34 Isaiah Crowell 29 Duke Johnson 40 Danny Vitale FB Wide receivers 19 Corey Coleman 16 Andrew Hawkins 81 Rashard Higgins 80 Ricardo Louis 84 Jordan Payton 11 Terrelle Pryor Tight ends 82 Gary Barnidge 87 Seth DeValve 86 Randall Telfer		Offensive linemen 78 Alvin Bailey G 72 Shon Coleman T 64 Jonathan Cooper G 66 Spencer Drango G 74 Cameron Erving C 60 Gabe Ikard C -- Matt McCants T 67 Austin Pasztor T 73 Joe Thomas T Defensive linemen 96 Xavier Cooper DE 91 Tyrone Holmes DE 98 Jamie Meder DE 94 Carl Nassib DE 90 Emmanuel Ogbah DE 99 Stephen Paea DE 55 Danny Shelton NT		Linebackers 54 Dominique Alexander ILB 59 Tank Carder ILB 51 Jamie Collins OLB 56 Demario Davis ILB 57 Cam Johnson OLB 58 Christian Kirksey ILB 52 Corey Lemonier OLB 53 Joe Schobert OLB Defensive backs 20 Briean Boddy-Calhoun CB 26 Marcus Burley CB 24 Ibraheim Campbell SS 23 Joe Haden CB 41 Tracy Howard FS 30 Derrick Kindred SS 39 Ed Reynolds S 21 Jamar Taylor CB 22 Tramon Williams CB Special teams  4 Britton Colquitt P 47 Charley Hughlett LS  3 Cody Parkey K				Reserve lists 75 Joel Bitonio G (IR) 92 Desmond Bryant DE (NF-Inj.) 12 Josh Gordon WR (Susp.) 77 John Greco G (IR) 10 Robert Griffin III QB (IR-DFR) 85 Rannell Hall WR (IR) 70 Nile Lawrence-Stample NT (IR)  2 Patrick Murray K (IR) 43 Rajion Neal RB (IR) 44 Nate Orchard OLB (IR) 83 Dennis Parks WR (IR) 33 Jordan Poyer FS (IR) 62 Austin Reiter C (IR) 28 Glenn Winston RB (IR) 97 Dylan Wynn DE (IR) Practice squad 83 Josh Boyce WR 31 Trey Caldwell CB 61 Anthony Fabiano C 89 Connor Hamlett TE 28 Darius Hillary CB 17 Jordan Leslie WR 38 Terrence Magee RB -- Zach Sterup T 50 Scooby Wright III ILB 97 Gabe Wright NT Rookies in italics Roster updated November 30, 2016 Depth Chart • Transactions 52 Active, 15 Inactive, 10 Practice Squad → AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LA SF SEA

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2016 Cleveland Browns season.

• Official website