Dawgs By Nature
a Cleveland Browns community
Filed under:
A look back at the most memorable moments or stories during the year 2020, in relation to the Cleveland Browns.
January 2020: Not satisfied with how Freddie Kitchens handled the 2019 season, Jimmy Haslam made yet another change at head coach for the Browns. This time, Paul DePodesta was put in charge of the search, and he finally got his wish to hire Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as the team’s next head coach.
Photo by: 2020 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
January 2020: At the end of January, the Browns hired a familiar face to be their new General Manager: Andrew Berry. Berry had only departed the club one year earlier for a job with the Eagles, but when John Dorsey was shown the door, Berry’s return to the club signaled a sign that Paul DePodesta, Kevin Stefanski, and Berry would all have synergy together.
February 2020: The San Francisco 49ers controlled Super Bowl LIV for 3.5 quarters, holding a 20-10 lead. In the final 7 minutes of the game, though, the Chiefs’ offense finally exploded, ripping off three touchdowns to stun the 49ers by a final score of 31-20. Patrick Mahomes took home the MVP honor.
Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
February 2020: The XFL is back, and this time, people were actually liking it. Vince McMahon’s league folded for a second time, though, coming to an unfortunate end when the pandemic halted operations before it could gain further ground.
Photo by Robert Rosamilio/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
February 2020: While Kevin Stefanski was able to get some impressive hires for his offensive staff, defensively, he went with Joe Woods, who was previously the defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.
Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
February 2020: This year has sucked for many, and that included the sudden and unexpected loss of Swagger, the team’s mascot who retired during the 2019 season. The family who owned Swagger later said that the dog had cancer in 2019, but an unexpected stroke took his life in February. RIP, Swagger. <3
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
February 2020: Although everyone expected the Browns to draft an offensive tackle with their first round pick, Greg Robinson’s possible future with the club was officially sealed when he was involved in a big pot bust at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Photo by: 2019 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
March 2020: I thought to myself, “you know, for this year’s Year-in-Review, I could just list the word ‘COVID’ and it would encompass everything.” For this picture, I specifically picked a picture of Rudy Gobert. Although there were many other incidents around this time, it was the news of Gobert having COVID and the Utah Jazz’ game being cancelled that really signified the start of what was to come in this pandemic. The NBA season was halted, headlines started coming out about everyone getting it, and the stock market crashed. It put the NFL offseason on hold too, as far as in-person encounters go.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
March 2020: The Browns have done a lot of things right this year in terms of personnel. The linebacker situation was a no-win situation for the team — they had two veteran players who could be stable, but would probably have to be overpaid to retain. Instead, Cleveland decided to let Christian Kirksey go, and opted not to re-sign Joe Schobert, depleting the team’s linebacking corp.
March 2020: At the start of free agency, Cleveland made a big splash when they signed RT Jack Conklin, TE Austin Hooper, and QB Case Keenum as their three big signings. Conklin has undoubtedly been a huge part of the offensive line’s resurgence in 2020.
Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
March 2020: It wasn’t just the big-name players — Andrew Berry signed or acquired a ton of new players, including FB Andy Janovich, WR JoJo Natson, DE Adrian Clayborn, DT Andrew Billings, LB B.J. Goodson, CB Kevin Johnson, S Karl Joseph, and S Andrew Sendejo.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
April 2020: Mid-way through April, the Browns unveiled their new uniforms, and it was a sign of the team going back to basics. Fans universally loved the changes back to the classic uniforms, and magically, we’ve stopped hearing complaints about the uniforms!
April 2020: This year’s draft was supposed to be held in Las Vegas, and up until a few weeks before the event, it was still unsure if it would be held or not. Ultimately, the in-person draft was cancelled, and the league held their very first all-virtual draft across all 32 teams. It was an impressive adaptive measure with very few hiccups on short notice, and gave NFL fans a sense of normalcy for a few nights when sports had gone missing.
Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images
April 2020: The Browns drafted OT Jedrick Wills at No. 10 overall for their first round pick. Wills would become the team’s starting left tackle despite a challenging offseason of not being physically with the club and having to learn the switch from right tackle to left tackle.
Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images
April 2020: The Browns drafted S Grant Delpit at No. 44 in the second round, and DT Jordan Elliott at No. 88 & LB Jacob Phillips at No. 97 in the third round.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
April 2020: On Day 3 of the NFL Draft, the Browns drafted TE Harrison Bryant at No. 115 in the 4th round, C Nick Harris at No. 160 in the 5th round, and WR Donovan Peoples-Jones at No. 187 in the 6th round.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
April 2020: To close out the month, Cleveland re-signed Rashard Higgins — a move that wasn’t buzz-worthy nationally, but certainly made Browns fans happy. Earlier in the month, the team also tendered Kareem Hunt to keep him with the club this year.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
May-June 2020: Welcome to the virtual offseason program. Teams could not hold in-person OTAs or minicamps, so everything was conducted virtually during the offseason, perhaps making it especially difficult on a team with a new head coach.
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
July 2020: With the team signing Austin Hooper and drafting Harrison Bryant, David Njoku reportedly requested a trade multiple times through his agent. Later in the offseason, Njoku backed off the request and remains with the club today.
Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
July 2020: The helmet incident from the 2019 season obviously didn’t impact the Browns’ desire to retain Myles Garrett. Garrett signed a contract extension through the 2026 season, temporarily making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
August 2020: The NFL gave players a small window of time to opt out of the 2020 season, and the biggest name on the Browns to do that was backup DT Andrew Billings. Billings would have been a key rotational player in the team’s defensive front if he had played. WR Odell Beckham Jr. supposedly had some concern, but did not opt out.
August 2020: Training camp officially started in mid-August for the Browns and the rest of the teams in the NFL. It was a late start, but preseason games were cancelled to make room for more practice time.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
August 2020: The injury bug struck Cleveland during camp, with the biggest one being rookie S Grant Deplit, which has forced S Andrew Sendejo to start all year. The team also temporarily lost RB Nick Chubb early in camp to a concussion.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
September 2020: Just before the start of the regular season, the Browns acquired S Ronnie Harrison from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although he’s had injury issues, Harrison has been one of the team’s better defenders when available.
Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images
September 2020: Also before the start of the season, the Browns signed RB Kareem Hunt to a contract extension. Given the amount of production that Hunt gives Cleveland, it was an absolute bargain.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
September 2020: In Week 1, the Cleveland Browns got off to a rocky start, losing to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 38-6. Down 7-0 and backed up in their own territory, Jamie Gillan tried a fake punt that didn’t succeed. Austin Seibert missed an extra point in the first quarter. Just before halftime, the Browns were in position for a scoring drive. Odell Beckham dropped an open pass on third down — then Seibert missed a field goal, and the Ravens scored a quick touchdown, marking a huge turnaround in Baltimore’s favor the rest of the way.
Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
September 2020: After showing tons of confidence in Austin Seibert during the offseason, he got the quick hook, being cut in favor of Cody Parkey, who has kicked for Cleveland the rest of the season.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
September 2020: In Week 2, the Browns utilized both of their backs heavily, as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for over 210 yards on the ground and 4 touchdowns total. Bengals rookie Joe Burrow was up to the task of keeping the Bengals alive, but Cleveland prevailed 35-30 for their first win of the season.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
September 2020: In Week 3, Cleveland dominated much of the game before unexpectedly finding themselves losing 20-17 heading to the final quarter of play. Washington turned the ball over 5 times, though, and Cleveland scored 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter to pull off the 34-20 victory. Myles Garrett had 2 sacks, including this fun picture of him dragging Dwayne Haskins down by his undershirt.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
October 2020: In Week 4, the Browns were down 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. Over the next two quarters, Cleveland scored 34 unanswered to take a 41-14 lead, seemingly having the game well in control. However, Dallas scored 3 touchdowns and 3 two-point conversions in the fourth quarter to make it a 41-38 game with 3:42 to play. That’s when WR Odell Beckham ripped off a 50-yard run for a game-sealing touchdown, his third score of the game, including one in which he caught a pass from fellow WR Jarvis Landry. The Browns improved to 3-1 with the 49-38 win.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
October 2020: In Week 5, the Colts looked like a dangerous team, but Cleveland had a 20-10 halftime lead after Baker Mayfield came out throwing the ball like crazy in the first half. After a pick six by Ronnie Harrison to start the third quarter, Cleveland looked to be in cruise control. But Indianapolis showed some life with a kickoff return for a touchdown — ultimately, the defense came through to finish the job in the second half for the 32-23 win, improving the team’s record to 4-1.
Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
October 2020: In Week 6, it was a game to forget for Cleveland, as they were crushed by the Steelers 38-7. Baker Mayfield entered the game with a rib injury, and Cleveland was without RB Nick Chubb and RG Wyatt Teller. Pittsburgh blitzed early and often, and Minkah Fitzpatrick had a pick six on Cleveland’s first offensive possession. Mayfield couldn’t finish the second half, giving way to Case Keenum.
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
October 2020: In Week 7, after going 0-of-5 in the first quarter with an interception, Baker Mayfield had a historic performance for Cleveland, completing 22 of his final 23 passes for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns, including an improbable 24-yard touchdown pass to WR Donovan Peoples-Jones in the right corner of the end zone with 11 seconds to go. Cleveland won the crazy back-and-forth shootout by a score of 37-34.
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
October 2020: Unfortunately, the Browns’ win over the Bengals wasn’t without consequence, as they lost WR Odell Beckham for the rest of the season to a torn ACL.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
November 2020: In Week 8, the winds were 30 MPH at FirstEnergy stadium. Neither team threw the ball very much, but both kickers were battling for three quarters for a 6-6 tie. The Raiders got their first touchdown in the fourth quarter, and when Cleveland tried to respond, dropped passes and a fumble by TE Harrison Bryant cost them a chance to comeback. Ultimately, it was the Raiders rushing for 209 yards and their ball control that dominated the 16-6 loss for Cleveland. The Browns fell to 5-3.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
November 2020: In Week 10, following the team’s bye week, Nick Chubb made his return. It was another windy day in Cleveland, and the Browns’ defense did wonders containing Deshaun Watson. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt each ran for over 100 yards, including Chubb’s 59-yard run at the end of the game, where he ran out of bounds at the 1 yard line instead of scoring so that the team could just take a knee to seal the win. Cleveland improved to 6-3 with the 10-7 victory.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
November 2020: The first big COVID news struck Cleveland, as DE Myles Garrett tested positive and would go on to miss the next two games.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
November 2020: In Week 11, the Browns sacked QB Carson Wentz 5 times and he threw 2 interceptions en route to a 22-17 victory for Cleveland on a rainy day. Sione Takitaki had a 50-yard pick six in the second quarter to set the tone for the game, and Wentz was right up there with Haskins as the worst quarterback the team faced in 2020.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
November 2020: Browns Chief of Staff Callie Brownson became the first interim female positional coach in NFL history when she took over as the team’s tight ends coach against the Jaguars.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
November 2020: In Week 12, the Browns grinded out a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were starting veteran QB Mike Glennon for the first time. Jarvis Landry had 143 yards receiving and a touchdown, but Cleveland’s defense had to stop Jacksonville’s two-point conversion attempt to secure the 27-25 win. The win improved Cleveland to 8-3 on the year.
Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images
December 2020: In Week 13, the Browns stunned the entire NFL by jumping out to a 38-7 first-half lead against the Titans, which included 4 first half touchdown passes by Baker Mayfield. Cleveland fans sweated heavily with the fact that Tennessee out-scored the Browns 28-3 in the second half, making the final score 41-35, but no one else in the national media cared about that. The Browns improved to 9-3 on the season.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
December 2020: In Week 14, Cleveland and Baltimore put on what many call the game of the year for Monday Night Football. Cleveland was losing 34-20 near the end of the third quarter, but scored two touchdowns, including some help that QB Lamar Jackson disappeared to the locker room with “cramps.” At the two minute warning, the Ravens faced a fourth down with their backup, and Cleveland needed one stop to win the game. Like a movie scene, Jackson raced out of the locker room, scrambled, and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 to go. Less than a minute later, Baker responded, hitting Kareem Hunt for a game-tying 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:04 to go. Baltimore still had enough time for K Justin Tucker to hit a 55-yard field goal with two seconds to go, as Baltimore won the crazy shootout 47-42.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
December 2020: In Week 15, Baker Mayfield was locked in, completing 27-of-32 passes for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns in what turned out to be Cleveland’s most complete game of the season. It helped that the Giants had Colt McCoy under center, who still couldn’t complete any passes with zip on them. The Browns won 20-6, improving to 10-4, needing just one win to clinch a playoff spot.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
December 2020: One day before their Week 16 game, the stunning news dropped that Cleveland’s entire group of wide receivers — Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and KhaDarel Hodge — would miss the game against the Jets. Not because they had COVID-19, but because they were deemed close contacts to LB B.J. Goodson, who did test positive for the virus.
December 2020: In Week 16, it was more disaster for Cleveland. The Browns’ offense couldn’t get in sync without their receiver options, and the Jets took advantage of several short fields, grabbing a 20-3 lead early in the third quarter. The Browns scored two touchdowns to get back in it at 20-16 early in the fourth quarter. With the score 23-16 and Cleveland going for a game-tying score, QB Baker Mayfield fumbled on a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-inches, allowing the Jets to win the game and put a lot more anxiety into Cleveland’s playoff chances.
Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images
December 2020: And now, on the final day of the year, Cleveland fans are on the ultimate edge heading into the New Year. I thought the only good thing about the year 2020 would be the Browns securing a playoff spot, and that can still happen with a Week 17 win against Pittsburgh (to start off 2021). And while the Browns are set to get some players back and the Steelers will rest some starters, more COVID cases or close contacts seem to be coming in every day for Cleveland. We finish 2020 proud of much of what this team has accomplished, but still in a big state of nervousness. Let’s Go Browns!
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images