Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (2/5/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• Browns improvement in 2023 dependent on just 3 prongs this offseason (Jared Mueller) - Three games, two of which the Cleveland Browns gave away and one that just should have never been won by a dome team coming into a bad weather game. That is how close the team was to being in the playoffs or at least having a winning record. Based on that, Cleveland doesn’t have a lot of improvement that they have to make in 2023 to make the playoffs and be a force.
• Senior Bowl Interview: WR Jayden Reed (Barry Shuck) - Before Senior Bowl week, Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed was projected as a fourth-round selection. Now, good luck finding him past the middle of the second round. The reason his stock was so low is that in college, Michigan State did not feature him in the passing game. In fact, they had a minimal passing game and simply ran the ball on most downs.
• Kevin Stefanski, Cavs stars attend big local high school basketball game (Jared Mueller) - While professional sports are revered in Ohio, it doesn’t stop at the professional level. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the biggest college brand in the state but a multitude of other universities get a lot of love and support locally as well. We saw another example of that last night as St. Ignatius handed number one St. Edward their first loss of the season in a close 53-50 battle. The game on the court was huge, as St. Ignatius got revenge from an early season blowout loss, but it was off the court that drew a ton of attention.
• Senior Bowl Interview: TE Luke Musgrave (Barry Shuck) - What Cleveland Browns fans want is their own Travis Kelce. And one was found in Mobile, Alabama, at this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl.
• Two Browns make the first-ever Players’ All-Pro team, while Nick Chubb finishes second (Chris Pokorny) - For years, the Associated Press had the only annual All-Pro list in the NFL. While that is still considered the official honor, we’ve seen spin-offs over the years, such as when Pro Football Focus does their All-Pro list. Starting this year, the NFLPA initiated the first Players All-Pro team. Former Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter explained the voting process here.

Cleveland Browns:

• Where does Joe Thomas’ career rank among other 1st-ballot Hall of Fame offensive tackles? (clevelandbrowns.com) - Joe Thomas has long been regarded as one of the greatest offensive tackles of all time. But how many people really know where he lands — from a statistical standpoint — among the greatest tackles ever?
• What happened to make Nick Chubb finish short of the NFL’s rushing title again? (cleveland.com) - For the third time in four years, Browns running back Nick Chubb finished short of the NFL’s rushing title. Analysts notice how much Chubb improves each season, coming back stronger and further built to run over and past defenders. While it’s shown in his career average of 5.2 yards per carry, it hasn’t translated to winning a rushing title.
• Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett other Cleveland Browns set for NFL’s Pro Bowl Games this weekend (Beacon Journal) - The NFL is determined to keep its product in front of viewers during the week before the Super Bowl beginning tonight with The 2023 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon. Members of the Cleveland Browns – Joel Bitonio, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett and Wyatt Teller – will be on hand to participate in a range of mostly non-football related events, including Dodgeball, pass receiving and wall pull, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN and culminating with flag football games Sunday.
• Season in review: Not much went right in 2022 (Browns Zone) - Not much went according to plan for the Browns this season. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for the first 11 games after being acquired in a blockbuster and controversial trade. Jacoby Brissett replaced him and exceeded expectations, yet the Browns were 4-7 when Watson returned to the lineup. The rust was obvious after he went 700 days between starts, and his six games were filled with ups and downs as the Browns went 3-3.

NFL:

• Cowboys name Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator (ESPN) - The Dallas Cowboys have named Brian Schottenheimer as the team’s new offensive coordinator, it was announced Saturday. The Cowboys agreed to part ways with previous offensive coordinator Kellen Moore last week and owner and general manager Jerry Jones has said coach Mike McCarthy will be calling the plays next season.
• What we learned from a week at the Senior Bowl (The Ringer) - The 74th annual Senior Bowl is all but wrapped up in Mobile, Alabama, where the only thing left to do is play the actual game on Saturday. But, somewhat paradoxically, the game isn’t actually what’s important about the Senior Bowl. It’s watching the players at practice; talking with scouts, coaches, and agents; and keeping your ear to the ground for fresh rumors. With that in mind, here are my notes from the week’s conversations in Mobile.
• Cardinals to interview Lou Anarumo, Mike Kafka a 2nd time, report says (arizonasports.com) - The Arizona Cardinals are set to give second interviews to Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for their head coach job, according to multiple reports.
• Niners LT Trent Williams quells retirement talk, says he’s coming back ‘for sure’ (NFL.com) - Rest easy Bay Area, Trent Williams isn’t retiring. The San Francisco 49ers left tackle cleared up any confusion regarding his future at Saturday’s Pro Bowl Games practices, saying he’ll be back next season and then some.