2021 Cleveland Browns season

The 2021 season was the Cleveland Browns' 69th season as a member of the National Football League (NFL), their 73rd overall and their second under head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. The Browns finished 8–9, failing to improve upon their 11–5 record from 2020. They did not qualify for the playoffs. For the 75th anniversary of the team's founding in 1946, the Browns introduced a commemorative logo in January to use for the season.[1]

2021 Cleveland Browns season
Browns 75th anniversary logo
OwnerJimmy and Dee Haslam
General managerAndrew Berry (EVP of Football Ops/GM)
Head coachKevin Stefanski
Home fieldFirstEnergy Stadium
Results
Record8–9
Division place3rd AFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersG Joel Bitonio
RB Nick Chubb
DE Myles Garrett
G Wyatt Teller
CB Denzel Ward
AP All-ProsG Joel Bitonio (1st team)
DE Myles Garrett (1st team)
G Wyatt Teller (2nd team)
Uniform

Offseason

Re-signings

Position Player Tag Date
TE Stephen Carlson ERFA March 5
DE Porter Gustin ERFA March 5
WR Rashard Higgins UFA March 17
WR KhaDarel Hodge RFA March 15
OLB Elijah Lee UFA March 19
WR JoJo Natson UFA March 18
K Cody Parkey UFA March 18
LB Malcolm Smith UFA March 18

Players added

Position Player Tag 2020 Team Date
DE Jadeveon Clowney UFA Tennessee Titans April 14
CB Troy Hill UFA Los Angeles Rams March 18
DT Malik Jackson UFA Philadelphia Eagles March 19
S John Johnson UFA Los Angeles Rams March 17
DT Malik McDowell UFA May 3
DE Takkarist McKinley UFA Las Vegas Raiders March 17
K Chase McLaughlin waivers New York Jets May 11
OT Greg Senat UFA Dallas Cowboys March 18
DT Damion Square UFA Los Angeles Chargers May 4
LB Anthony Walker Jr. UFA Indianapolis Colts March 19

Players lost

Position Player Tag 2021 Team Date
DE Adrian Clayborn Release March 9
LB Tae Davis Release Houston Texans March 15
C Anthony Fabiano Retired[2] June 6
LB B. J. Goodson UFA
WR Marvin Hall UFA New England Patriots[3] June 4
CB Kevin Johnson UFA Tennessee Titans March 18
SS Karl Joseph UFA Las Vegas Raiders April 9
OT Kendall Lamm UFA Tennessee Titans March 17
CB Terrance Mitchell UFA Houston Texans March 17
DE George Obinna ERFA
DT Larry Ogunjobi UFA Cincinnati Bengals March 17
G Malcolm Pridgeon Release February 9
DT Sheldon Richardson Release Minnesota Vikings[4] April 16
S Andrew Sendejo UFA
WR Taywan Taylor UFA Houston Texans[5] May 20
DT Vincent Taylor UFA Houston Texans March 17
CB Tavierre Thomas Release Houston Texans March 5
DE Olivier Vernon UFA

Draft

2021 Cleveland Browns Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
126 Greg Newsome IICBNorthwestern
252 Jeremiah Owusu-KoramoahLBNotre Damefrom Chicago via Carolina
391 Anthony SchwartzWRAuburnfrom New Orleans
4110 James HudsonOTCincinnatifrom Philadelphia
132 Tommy TogiaiDTOhio State
5153 Tony Fields IILBWest Virginiafrom Detroit
169 Richard LeCounteSGeorgiafrom Los Angeles Rams
6211 Demetric FeltonRBUCLA

Pre-draft trades

Undrafted free agents

Player Position College Signed Cut
Tre HarbisonRBCharlotteMay 3
Romeo McKnightDECharlotteMay 3
Emmanuel RugambaCBMiami (OH)May 3
Kiondre ThomasCBKansas StateMay 3
Marvin WilsonDTFlorida StateMay 3

Staff

2021 Cleveland Browns staff
Front office
  • Owners – Jimmy Haslam, Dee Haslam, Whitney Haslam-Johnson, J.W. Johnson (EVP)
  • Chief strategy officer – Paul DePodesta
  • EVP/Chief Operating Officer – David Jenkins
  • EVP of football operations/General manager – Andrew Berry
  • Vice president of football administration – Chris Cooper
  • Vice president of football operations – Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
  • Vice president of player personnel – Glenn Cook
  • Vice president of research and strategy – Andrew Healy
  • Vice president of player personnel process and development – Ken Kovash
  • Director of football administration - Taylor Young
  • Director of player personnel – Dan Saganey
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Adam Al-Khayyal
  • Director of research and strategy – Dave Giuliani
  • Director of scouting research – Mike Cetta
  • Director of football information systems - Brad DeAngelis
  • Senior football advisor – Ryan Grigson
  • Special advisor – Jim Brown

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Joe Woods
  • Defensive line – Chris Kiffin
  • Assistant defensive line – Jeremy Garrett
  • Linebackers – Jason Tarver
  • Defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs – Jeff Howard
  • Assistant defensive backs – Brandon Lynch
  • Defensive run game coordinator – Ben Bloom
  • Defensive quality control – Stephen Bravo-Brown
  • Defensive Assistant - Zach Dunn

Special teams coaches

  • Assistant special teams – Doug Colman
  • Coaching assistant – Ryan Cordell

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of high performance – Shaun Huls
  • Director of strength and conditioning – Larry Jackson
  • Director of performance nutrition – Katy Meassick
  • Strength and conditioning assistant/sports science – Josh Christovich
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Monty Gibson
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Dale Jones
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Evan Marcus

Final roster

2021 Cleveland Browns final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
54 active, 14 inactive, 9 practice squad (+5 exempt)

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 23–13 1–0 TIAA Bank Field Recap
2 August 22 New York Giants W 17–13 2–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
3 August 29 at Atlanta Falcons W 19–10 3–0 Mercedes Benz Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

The Browns' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Kansas City Chiefs L 29–33 0–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 19 Houston Texans W 31–21 1–1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
3 September 26 Chicago Bears W 26–6 2–1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
4 October 3 at Minnesota Vikings W 14–7 3–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
5 October 10 at Los Angeles Chargers L 42–47 3–2 SoFi Stadium Recap
6 October 17 Arizona Cardinals L 14–37 3–3 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
7 October 21 Denver Broncos W 17–14 4–3 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
8 October 31 Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–15 4–4 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at Cincinnati Bengals W 41–16 5–4 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
10 November 14 at New England Patriots L 7–45 5–5 Gillette Stadium Recap
11 November 21 Detroit Lions W 13–10 6–5 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
12 November 28 at Baltimore Ravens L 10–16 6–6 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
13 Bye
14 December 12 Baltimore Ravens W 24–22 7–6 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
15 December 20 Las Vegas Raiders L 14–16 7–7 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
16 December 25 at Green Bay Packers L 22–24 7–8 Lambeau Field Recap
17 January 3 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–26 7–9 Heinz Field Recap
18 January 9 Cincinnati Bengals W 21–16 8–9 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 1: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 8 14 0729
Chiefs 3 7 101333

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With the loss, the Browns started their season at 0–1. The Browns failed to win in Week 1 for the 17th straight season.

Week 2: vs. Houston Texans

Week 2: Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 7 0721
Browns 7 7 10731

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 3: Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 0 306
Browns 0 10 31326

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 2–1. The Browns' defense set franchise records for fewest yards allowed (47) and fewest net passing yards allowed (1).[12] DE Myles Garrett set a franchise record with 4.5 sacks[12] and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[13]

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 4: Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 11 0314
Vikings 7 0 007

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

This was Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski's first return to Minneapolis since leaving the Vikings in January 2020 to become the Browns head coach. Stefanski served as an assistant coach for the Vikings from 2006 to 2019.

With the win, the Browns improved to 3–1. This marked the Browns' sixth consecutive win over NFC opponents.

Week 5: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 17 71542
Chargers 7 6 82647

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 70,240
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the loss, the Browns fell to 3–2. The Browns became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring 40+ points and having no turnovers. Such teams were previously 442–0.

Week 6: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 6: Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 16 7737
Browns 0 14 0014

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the loss, the Browns fell to 3–3. This loss ended a 6-game winning streak over NFC opponents and marked the first time the Browns lost consecutive games under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield left the game after aggravating a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the season. Mayfield was ruled out for the following game, ending his streak of 51 consecutive starts at quarterback, the second longest stretch in franchise history (trailing only Brian Sipe's 70 consecutive starts from 1978–82).[14]

Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 7: Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 0 7714
Browns 10 0 7017

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 4–3. RB D'Ernest Johnson was named the FedEx Ground Player of the week. Johnson, who was making his first career start in place of injured RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, had 22 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, including several key runs to run out the clock and preserve the win.[15]

Week 8: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 8: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 3 6615
Browns 3 0 7010

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,431
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the loss, the Browns fell to 4–4.

On November 5, the Browns announced their intentions to release WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Week 9: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 9: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 17 10741
Bengals 7 3 0616

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,451
  • Referee: Scott Novak
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 5–4. The 25-point margin of victory was the Browns' largest since 2003. RB Nick Chubb was named FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Chubb rushed for 137 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.

Week 10: at New England Patriots

Week 10: Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 0 007
Patriots 7 17 71445

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

With the loss, the Browns fell to 5–5. The 38-point margin of defeat was the Browns' largest since 2005.

Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 11: Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 7310
Browns 0 13 0013

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 6–5. This win ended a four-game losing streak to the Lions, as this was the Browns first win over the Lions since 2001.

Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 12: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 3 7010
Ravens 3 3 7316

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

With the loss, the Browns went into their bye week at 6–6. The Browns' sixth loss on the season means they did not improve upon their 11–5 record from 2020.

Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 14: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 6 31322
Browns 10 14 0024

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 47 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,431
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, the Browns improved to 7–6. During the game, Myles Garrett set the franchise record for most sacks in a season, with 15.

Week 15: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 15: Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 7 3 0616
Browns 0 0 7714

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

After 25 Browns players and three coaches, including head coach Kevin Stefanski, tested positive for COVID-19 in the week leading up to the game, the game was postponed from its original date of December 18 to December 20.[16] During this time, three players were able to test negative and be activated, but the majority of the infected players were ruled out. With starting QB Baker Mayfield and backup QB Case Keenum sidelined with the virus, third-string QB Nick Mullens made his first start with the Browns. Special teams coach Mike Priefer served as acting head coach for the game.[17]

With the loss, the Browns fell to 7–7.

Week 16: at Green Bay Packers

Week 16: Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 6 6 3722
Packers 7 14 3024

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: December 25
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,901
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Prime Video): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

This game marked the first time in franchise history that the Browns played on Christmas Day.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 7–8, and had 6 one-score game losses, the most in the NFL

Week 17: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 17: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 0 7714
Steelers 0 10 31326

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

On January 2, Cincinnati defeated Kansas City to clinch the AFC North title. This marks the Browns’ 29th consecutive season without winning a division title. With the Los Angeles Chargers’ win over Denver later that day, the Browns were eliminated from playoff contention.[18]

With their 18th straight regular season loss in Pittsburgh, the Browns fell to 7–9. They finished 2–6 in away games.

Week 18: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 18: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 7 3616
Browns 7 7 0721

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With the win, the Browns finished the season 8–9. They finished 6–3 in home games. The Browns swept the Bengals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1994 and 1995.

Division

AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Cincinnati Bengals 10 7 0 .588 4–2 8–4 460 376 L1
(7) Pittsburgh Steelers 9 7 1 .559 4–2 7–5 343 398 W2
Cleveland Browns 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 349 371 W1
Baltimore Ravens 8 9 0 .471 1–5 5–7 387 392 L6

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[lower-alpha 1] Tennessee Titans South 12 5 0 .706 5–1 8–4 .472 .480 W3
2[lower-alpha 1] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 7–5 .538 .517 W1
3 Buffalo Bills East 11 6 0 .647 5–1 7–5 .472 .428 W4
4 Cincinnati Bengals North 10 7 0 .588 4–2 8–4 .472 .462 L1
Wild cards
5[lower-alpha 2] Las Vegas Raiders West 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .510 .515 W4
6[lower-alpha 2] New England Patriots East 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .481 .394 L1
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 7 1 .559 4–2 7–5 .521 .490 W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[lower-alpha 3] Indianapolis Colts South 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .495 .431 L2
9[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Miami Dolphins East 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .464 .379 W1
10[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Los Angeles Chargers West 9 8 0 .529 3–3 6–6 .510 .500 L1
11[lower-alpha 5] Cleveland Browns North 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 .514 .415 W1
12[lower-alpha 5] Baltimore Ravens North 8 9 0 .471 1–5 5–7 .531 .460 L6
13 Denver Broncos West 7 10 0 .412 1–5 3–9 .484 .357 L4
14[lower-alpha 6] New York Jets East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 4–8 .512 .426 L2
15[lower-alpha 6] Houston Texans South 4 13 0 .235 3–3 4–8 .498 .397 L2
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 14 0 .176 1–5 3–9 .512 .569 W1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. Tennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. Las Vegas finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis).
  3. Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
  4. Miami finished ahead of LA Chargers based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: New England, Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and NY Giants).
  5. Cleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5).
  6. NY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  7. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Regular season

Category Player(s) Value
Passing yardsBaker Mayfield3,010
Passing touchdownsBaker Mayfield17
Rushing yardsNick Chubb1,259
Rushing touchdownsNick Chubb8
ReceptionsJarvis Landry52
Receiving yardsDonovan Peoples-Jones597
Receiving touchdownsDavid Njoku4
PointsChase McLaughlin81
Kickoff return yardsAnthony Schwartz322
Punt return yardsDemetric Felton227
TacklesAnthony Walker Jr.113
SacksMyles Garrett16.0
Forced fumbles2 players tied2
Interceptions2 players tied3
Pass deflections2 players tied10

Awards

The following Browns were awarded for their performances during the season:

AFC Defensive Player of the Week/Month

W/M Player Line
3DE Myles Garrett7 TKL, 4 TFL, 4.5 sacks

2022 Pro Bowl

On December 20, it was announced that G Joel Bitonio, RB Nick Chubb, DE Myles Garrett, G Wyatt Teller, and CB Denzel Ward were named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, with Bitonio and Garrett named as starters. This marks the fourth Pro Bowl selection for Bitonio, the third for Chubb and Garrett, the second for Ward, and the first for Teller.

References

  1. Patsko, Scott (January 29, 2021). "Browns unveil logo to celebrate 75th anniversary of the franchise". Cleveland.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  2. "AFC Notes: Browns, Fisher, Broncos, Fleming".
  3. "Patriots Sign Wide Receiver Marvin Hall". Patriots.com. June 4, 2021.
  4. "Vikings Sign and Bring Back DT Sheldon Richardson".
  5. "Houston Texans Transactions (5-20-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. May 20, 2021.
  6. Shook, Nick (April 24, 2020). "Saints trade up, select LB Zack Baun with 74th pick". NFL.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  7. "Browns trade pass rusher Genard Avery to the Eagles in exchange for 2021 draft pick". CBS Sports. October 28, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  8. DaSilva, Carmen (October 15, 2019). "Rams trade 2021 draft pick to Browns for OL Austin Corbett". RamsWire. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  9. "Browns acquire safety Ronnie Harrison from Jaguars in trade". NFL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. "Teller-traded-cleveland". clevelandbrowns.com. August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  11. Alper, Josh (March 17, 2020). "Broncos agree to trade Andy Janovich to Browns". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. "Browns 26, Bears 6: Myles Garrett sacks Justin Fields 4.5 times, defense holds Chicago to 1 net yard passing". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  13. "Myles Garrett named AFC Defensive Player of the Week". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  14. Baker Mayfield out for Thursday's game against Denver
  15. "Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson named FedEx Ground Player of the Week". WJW-TV. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  16. Amid COVID-19 outbreak, Browns vs. Raiders postponed until 5 p.m. Monday
  17. Ulrich, Nate (December 20, 2021). "Browns activate John Johnson III from COVID-19 list; Nick Mullens set to start at quarterback against Raiders". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  18. "Why Did The Browns Miss The Playoffs?". The Cold Wire. January 3, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
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