The 2024 Browns: A terrible way to watch football

For many years, actually, most years over the last three decades, there is a usual refrain that comes from some Browns fans at this time of year: "We're out of the playoffs," they say. "It's actually better if the Browns lose the rest of their games. We'll get a better draft pick." I've never subscribed to this line of thinking. When the Browns are playing, I – desperately – want them to win. It didn't matter when Cleveland was playing out the string with interim coach Jim Shofner at the end of a disastrous 1990 season. It didn't matter during the first three seasons of the Bill Belichick era. And it didn't matter during 2015-2017, a stretch in which the franchise managed just four victories and was always picking near the top of the draft. My father and I actually got into a heated argument about this during the finale of the Browns' 2016 season, when they were 1-14. The stakes were actually pretty high on that day, with the Browns finishing the abomination of a year in Pittsburgh against a playoff-bound and resting Steelers squad. My dad wanted the Browns to lose so they could get the top pick, and, presumably, take a defensive end out of Texas A&M named Myles Garrett. But after enjoying just one win in a calendar year, I was desperate to feel the winning feeling one more time. "The Browns will just blow the pick anyway," I said. Well, Cleveland did lose that game; they did get the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, and did take Garrett. Garrett is heading to the Hall of Fame, and (this week's comments not withstanding) will go in as a Brown. Still, I sometimes wish the Browns had gotten a couple more wins that year. They might have been forced to take Patrick Mahomes, who went 10th to the Chiefs. The point is, I've never been a "lose to get a better pick" type of fan. But this year, that has changed. The Browns have problems. Lots of them. They don't have a quality quarterback. They have salary cap issues. But the biggest problem is that they keep losing, like on Sunday, when they lost, 24-6 to the Bengals. Cleveland hasn't had a first-round pick since 2021, thanks to the ill-conceived trade for Deshaun Watson. The Browns are 3-12, with two games left. Right now, Cleveland has the fifth pick in the 2025 draft. To be sure, one player – even one who could be great – won't save this franchise's problems. But it could certainly help. And the Browns need the best possible player they can find. The higher the pick, the better the odds. And this season has been so awful, there's nothing that can be gained by winning one or two more games. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is not the answer at quarterback. Jerome Ford has his moments, but I don't see him as a dominant running back. Jerry Jeudy has been excellent, but he's established himself as a valuable receiver. There's virtually nothing that can be gained by a meaningless win. So on Sunday, when Ford broke a 60 yard run and the Browns were first and goal from the 1, I wasn't broken up when D'Onta Foreman fumbled just before reaching the end zone. A few weeks ago, I'd be asking how Foreman – who has been inactive for five weeks – suddenly got called upon on the doorstep of a touchdown. In past weeks, I'd be ranting and raving – to no one in particular – after DTR threw another awful interception. But now, I'm somewhat OK with it. Losing likely will be better for the Browns in the long run. If any football coaches read this column, they're probably disgusted by such a sentiment. I agree. It's a terrible way to watch football. But then, that might be a fitting slogan for the 2024 Browns. PLAYER OF THE GAME: Defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett got his 100th career sack Sunday. Garrett said on Friday that he did not want to go through another rebuild with the Browns. Garrett has said he wants to play his entire career in Cleveland. "But if we choose to do a rebuild and it's two, three, four years out, I want to be able to compete and play at a high level," he said, "play meaningful games and be playing past January." Every fan feels the same way. I didn't have any issue with what Garrett said; he's clearly frustrated, and he should be. But I didn't like when he said it. Garrett has been a cornerstone of this franchise for eight years. He's also one of the two more popular players on the current roster. Nick Chubb is the other. A week ago, Chubb's season ended with an injury. It's possible fans may never get to see him play for the Browns again. Cleveland is in the middle of a losing streak, it just changed quarterbacks, there's very little to be happy about. Now, Garrett said he might want out. It was just a barrage of bad news for fans. Couldn't this declaration have waited until the offseason? Or, at least, another week? Hopefully Cleveland can somehow show Garrett something that – really – seems almost impossible: That the Browns can compete for titles, and soon. Otherwise, trade talks will hover around the team's best player. NEXT WEEK: The Browns host the Dolphins, who, at last check, have a minuscule chance at the AFC playoffs. Miami is mediocre. The Browns are a lost cause. MY PICK: Dolphins 19, Browns 6.