The Opening Drive 9/10: Stefanski's History After Losses, Initial Answers To Questions About Nickel, Roster News & Salary Cap Notes
Stefanski has been good after losses, How the Browns managed slot coverage and some Tuesday roster news.
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of The Opening Drive. Tuesday is typically a quieter day in the NFL week, as the Browns take a day off to prepare for their upcoming game against the Ravens. The Ravens likely share similar feelings as the Browns after their Week 1 performance, where they dominated the Buffalo Bills for much of the game on Sunday Night Football. At one point, they held a 40-25 lead after a touchdown from Derrick Henry in the second half, but ultimately lost the game on a last-second field goal.
The Browns dominated the Bengals in the second half, holding them to seven total yards of offense. The Browns doubled up the Bengals in first downs with 22 to their 11 and out-gained the Bengals in total yards, 327 to 141.
With both teams feeling as though they outplayed their opponent without achieving the desired result, much of this week will be about bouncing back and overcoming some early-season adversity. It is easy to get caught up in the 'should have' narrative, but the Browns do not have that luxury.
Stefanski has performed well after losses during his time with the Browns. Several times, the Browns have bounced back from potentially devastating losses to secure critical wins under Stefanski's leadership.
Stefanski's head coaching career began with a disheartening 38-6 loss in Baltimore in 2020. However, the Browns rallied the following week to achieve a significant 35-30 victory over the Bengals.
The 2023 season featured a series of resilient bounce-back victories for the Browns, who faced adversity all season long. After a heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh in Week 2, with a score of 22-26, the Browns quickly responded by defeating the Titans 27-3. However, they suffered another setback the following week, losing to Baltimore at home 28-3. Despite this, they stunned the NFL by achieving a surprising upset win over the 49ers in their next game.
Stefanski had a record of 22-8 after losses before last season, and even after the disaster of 2024, he still has a 25-18 record after losses during his time as head coach.
Both teams will be eager to shake off their recent losses this Sunday in Baltimore. Stefanski has had some success in similar situations during his time as coach, but this presents one of the toughest challenges he has faced in a bounce-back spot. It requires mental toughness to learn from a week one loss without allowing negative feelings to linger as they shift their focus to week two. Stefanski has always emphasized a one-week-at-a-time mindset, and he will need genuine buy-in from his team if they are to pull off an upset in Baltimore this week.
What’s Going On at Browns Film Breakdown
Latest Podcasts:
Stefanski Updates, “What We Learned” W1, and All-22 Offense Breakdown
Post-Loss Analysis as Browns Drop Opener to Bengals in Crushing Fashion
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One of the questions we asked all offseason long pertained to a potential area of weakness at the nickel cornerback position. What kind of answers did we get on Sunday?
Myles Harden got the start in the nickel and played 19 snaps on defense. Despite a PFF grade of 53.0, he covered reasonably well. He was all over the back of Tee Higgins on a third down early in the game, and Burrow threw a perfect ball to Higgins. He was targeted three times, resulting in three catches for a total of 31 yards. He did a good job sticking his nose right in the mix on some run plays, accumulating three tackles.
Cameron Mitchell played nine snaps on defense and was targeted once, in which he surrendered a 20-yard reception, 11 of which came after the catch. He was only in on three run plays and had no tackles. His PFF grade was a 40.8.
Grant Delpit, who played 52 total snaps on defense, stepped in the slot for 17 snaps. Delpit is a critical chess piece for Schwartz as he used him at free safety for 11 snaps, in the box for 18 snaps, and six snaps on the defensive line to go with his slot usage. He received a PFF grade of 70.4.
Tuesday Roster News:
The Browns signed DT Ralph Holley to the practice squad and released RB Trayveon Williams from the practice squad. Holley (6-0, 285) out of Western Michigan, spent the offseason and preseason with the Browns this year. He also has stints in the USFL and CFL. Holley will wear No. 97.
Salary Cap Moves:
The Browns recently restructured CB Denzel Ward's contract, converting his $13.5 million 2025 base salary to a bonus per Jack Duffin. According to Over The Cap, the Browns have a little under $18 million in cap space.
Berry has traditionally made this kind of move to accumulate additional rollover cap money, not necessarily to make a mid-season signing.
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Browns Film Breakdown will return this afternoon with Film Room content.
I can't wait to get out of work today, so I can consume both offensive and defensive film breakdowns.. Awesome work guys...