Paul DePodesta was hired as the Cleveland Browns’ chief strategy officer following the 2015-16 NFL season, and his tenure has been through some severe highs and lows thanks to his decision-making.
He remains in that role nearly nine years later, and with the team sitting at 2-7, fingers are being pointed everywhere as one analyst pointed out some stats from DePodesta’s tenure.
Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan shared on X that after DePodesta’s 1-31 start to his career over his first two years, the team went 13-18-1 over the following two years before improving to 39-37 from 2020-2024, which included two playoff seasons and one playoff victory.
Collectively, the team has a post-rebuild record of 52-55-1 after those first two disastrous seasons.
Watson’s contract, injuries, and poor performance have set this franchise back and dug a hole that looks nearly impossible to get out of.
The situation doesn’t have an obvious resolution, and now that the team has shipped off assets at the trade deadline, there is no immediate sign that things will get better.
The Browns have a bye week before a matchup at the New Orleans Saints, and with the trade deadline now in the rearview mirror and the playoffs likely out of reach, the team will shift focus to try to simply build some positive momentum heading into the offseason.