Browns owner Jimmy Haslam made headlines this week at the annual NFL owners' meetings in Florida. During a conversation with Browns beat writers, he called the 2022 blockbuster trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson a "swing and a miss" and said he and his wife, Dee, take the blame.
Ideastream Public Media's sports commentator Terry Pluto said Haslam taking the blame was long overdue. However, it doesn't mean much in terms of accountability for fans.
"(Haslam) owns the team," Pluto said. "Fans don't get to fire the owner. People that think that Haslam is going to sell, it's just the opposite. His group, the Haslam Sports Group, is in the business of buying sports franchises."
Pluto said Haslam taking responsibility came in the form of bringing back General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski.
"It's almost like he's giving them, in year number six, a clean slate to dig out from the mess of the Watson trade," Pluto said.
The Browns have the second pick in the upcoming NFL draft and have hosted Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, the top two quarterback prospects. Cleveland also owns the 33rd overall pick to grab a quarterback in the second round or move up to get another first round pick.
Haslam said the team will not force drafting a quarterback if it doesn't feel right. Pluto believes it's all about keeping cards close leading up to the April 24 draft.
"The NFL thrives on this time of year," Pluto said. "What are they gonna do with number two? Will they trade up? Will they try down? Will they pass? I mean, it just goes on and on."
Pluto said it's all about the NFL grabbing the headlines.
"I mean the Cavs (have won) 60 games are in the playoffs," Pluto said. "The Guardians have started their season and they are defending central division champs. And 90% of my emails are about the Browns. It's just incredible how the NFL has such a dominant position in the psyche of sports fans."
Besides Watson, the only other quarterback on Cleveland's roster is Kenny Pickett, who was acquired from Philadelphia.
"They're shopping around (and) there'll be lots of speculation," Pluto said. "I don't know what they're going to do. I do know this, the pressure now is on the front office with Andrew Berry. If you trade down, you still (have) to pick well. I mean, I don't care whether you're picking number two, you're picking number six or wherever you are. You got to start nailing these draft choices."
Meanwhile, the stadium saga continues. The Ohio House on Tuesday said they're inserting language into the state budget for $600 million in state-backed bonds for a new Brook Park facility. Haslam said this week the team would consider Plan B and remain on the lakefront should Ohio lawmakers reject that funding.
"I think it's political," Pluto said. "My guess is that Haslam wants Brook Park. He's wanted Brook Park (and) nothing's changed about that. He wants to build this big dome stadium and all this development around it. Whether he's trying to just say, 'I'm a reasonable man, I'll think about Cleveland again and the renovation,' or exactly what is behind the curtain here. But I know this, he doesn't want to renovate that stadium. He doesn't want to be downtown. They're just fighting dollars."
And Pluto believes the trade for Deshaun Watson was tied to Haslam's stadium plans.
"I think they were hoping when they brought Watson in here, that he would be a successful quarterback like he was in Houston," Pluto said. "They'd win a whole bunch of games and that would help public sentiment toward his idea of a dome stadium. Do I know that for a fact? No. But when you think about the risk they took there to try and get something big happen right away with Watson, combine it with their plan of a huge plan for this dome stadium, it kind of comes together."
Now, the fallout of the failed trade is having a ripple effect, Pluto said.
"Really right now, almost anything the Haslam's want to do, there's a big percentage of the fan base that just says 'No,' because they're mad at the Haslams," Pluto said.
Pluto believes ultimately, the Haslams will get the Brook Park stadium.
"Remember, Myles Garrett, he wanted to be traded; he was gonna do all this or that. Then he signed a big contract to stay, you know, follow the money. And probably with the stadium thing, it probably will end up with the Haslams building their dome in Brook Park and Myles Garrett playing in it."
