Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (1/16/22)

Cleveland Browns:

• Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah land on PFF’s All-Rookie team (Browns Wire) - Two players that hit the ground running for the Cleveland Browns were their top two draft picks in Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah. The two rookie defenders were honored by Pro Football Focus as a part of their All-Rookie team:
• Draft a QB this year as another option with Baker Mayfield: The Mayfield Matrix Carson Wentz Option (cleveland.com) - The Browns took Baker Mayfield No. 1 in the 2018 NFL Draft and haven’t picked a quarterback since, a reasonable strategy while leaning into Mayfield and addressing other roster needs. In 2022, the Browns should strongly consider taking a potential future backup QB in the later rounds of the draft. But this scenario in The Mayfield Matrix has the Browns taking a quarterback higher, like in the second round with their pick at No. 45, as a potential viable alternative to Mayfield.
• Browns coach Kevin Stefanski says he and Baker Mayfield ‘work well together’ and respect each other (Beacon Journal) - The relationship between Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield has been under the microscope lately. But the message the Browns have been sending this week is Stefanski and Mayfield had a good conversation Jan. 7 during the quarterback’s end-of-season exit meeting, which was held a few days earlier than usual because Mayfield was shut down for the season finale this past weekend as he readies for Jan. 19 surgery on the completely torn labrum he suffered in his left, non-throwing shoulder in Week 2.
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah strives to improve ‘everything’ in 1st full NFL offseason (clevelandbrowns.com) - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah delivered the same expression to the same question throughout his rookie season. The question: “Where can you improve?”

NFL:

• Is the Arizona Cardinals’ title drought the result of a curse? (New York Times) - The Arizona Cardinals, owners of the longest championship drought in major American sports, enter the NFL playoffs with, some say, a curse the team won’t acknowledge.
• ‘How ‘bout them Cowboys?’ The inside story of Jimmy Johnson’s legendary line (ESPN) - They sat undisturbed at a picnic table at Jimmy Johnson’s favorite Italian restaurant along Highway A1A in the Florida Keys one Saturday night in early April. After a day spent on Johnson’s boat, fishing and telling stories, there was one more story to tell. It was about the 1992 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers — and what Dalrymple called the Cowboys’ finest hour, borrowing the term from former English Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
• Brian Flores seen as favorite to land in Houston; hiring ex-Dolphins HC could lead to Deshaun Watson reunion (CBS Sports) - Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores is being viewed as the strong favorite to take over the Houston Texans by numerous coaches and general managers involved in this hiring cycle. Flores interviewed with the Texans on Friday and there is a strong anticipation that a deal with Houston could come together very quickly.
• Ranking the top-10 NFL players to start a franchise with in 2022 (PFF) - Landing a franchise quarterback isn’t easy, but it’s a necessity in order to be a perennial threat to win the Super Bowl. This begs the question: Which teams are in good position and have that franchise quarterback after the 2021 season? If you were starting a team from scratch and had the choice of all the players in the NFL, whom are you choosing to start a franchise with?