2023 Cleveland Browns season

On January 9, the day after the 2022 season finale, the Browns fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods after three seasons.[1]

On January 18, the team hired former Tennessee Titans senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz to replace Woods as defensive coordinator. Schwartz previously served as head coach of the Detroit Lions and defensive coordinator for the Titans and the Philadelphia Eagles, winning Super Bowl LII during his tenure with the latter.

On February 21, the Browns fired special teams coordinator Mike Priefer after four seasons. He had served as interim head coach for two games, including the Browns' playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.[2]

On February 25, the Browns hired former Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone to the same position, as well as to serve as assistant head coach. Ventrone played ten seasons as a safety and special teams specialist, including four seasons with the Browns.[3]

Notes

On July 17, the Browns introduced a white helmet with an orange and brown center stripe. The helmet will be worn with the team's 1946 throwback uniforms, which were previously introduced in 2021.[45] It will be worn for three games and mark the first time since 1951 that the Browns will wear a non-orange helmet.[46][47]

Notes

• Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
• Networks and times from Weeks 7–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.
• The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.

The Browns opened the season with an AFC North matchup against the in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals, marking the 100th meeting between the two franchises.

The Browns defense dominated the game, forcing ten Cincinnati punts including seven three-and-outs, and limiting the Bengals offense to six first downs. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was limited to a career-low 82 passing yards. On offense, the Browns were led by Nick Chubb's 106 rushing yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Deshaun Watson 154 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown, despite a 55.2% completion percentage and one interception. Kicker Dustin Hopkins converted all three of his field goal attempts in his Browns debut. The Bengals' lone score came on an Evan McPherson field goal.

With the win, the Browns opened the season 1–0 for the second consecutive year. This marked the first time the Browns won consecutive season openers since 1993 and 1994.

After starting the season with a win, the Browns traveled to Pittsburgh to for a second straight division rivalry game, this time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh scored on an Alex Highsmith interception returned for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to take a 7–0 lead. Cleveland responded with a Dustin Hopkins 43-yard field goal to cut the Steelers lead to 7–3, but failed to get closer on the next drive as Hopkins missed a field goal attempt on the next drive. Early in the second quarter, Browns' Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb suffered a severe knee injury and was removed from the game; the injury ended Chubb's season. The Browns were able to get into the end zone on that drive on a Deshaun Watson 2-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Ford and added a 2-point conversion after a Pittsburgh penalty to take an 11–7 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a Chris Boswell field goal and a Kenny Pickett 71-yard pass to George Pickens to take a 16–11 lead, but the Browns added another Hopkins field goal before halftime to cut the Steelers' lead down to two points.

On their first drive of the third quarter, Pittsburgh scored on a Boswell 50-yard field goal. The Browns responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Pierre Strong Jr., set up by a 69-yard run by Ford two plays earlier, to take a 22–19 lead after a Watson run for the 2-point conversion. However, in the fourth quarter T. J. Watt recovered a Watson fumble and returned it for a touchdown to take the lead. The Browns were not able to respond, resulting in a 26–22 Steelers win.

With the loss, the Browns fell to 1–1. This was the Browns' 20th straight regular season loss in Pittsburgh.

The Browns returned home for a Week 3 battle with the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland had a 12-play drive on the first possession of the game which culminated in a Dustin Hopkins 48-yard field goal to give the Browns a 3–0 lead. After a Tennessee field goal tied the game early in the second quarter, Cleveland responded with a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to Jerome Ford and another Hopkins field to take a 13–3 lead into halftime.

The Browns defense held the Titans scoreless through the second half. On offense, the Browns added two touchdowns on a Ford run, the first rushing touchdown of his career, and a 43-yard pass from Watson to Amari Cooper, to give the Browns a 27–3 win.

With the win, the Browns improved to 2–1.

The Browns stayed home to take on the Baltimore Ravens, in an early battle for the top spot in the AFC North. In the week leading up to the game, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was limited in practice due to a shoulder injury. He was ultimately declared inactive for the game after pre-game warmups. Backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson made his first career start in Watson's place.

After teams exchanged punts to start the game, a Brandon Stephens interception was returned to the Browns' 10 yard-line. This set up a Lamar Jackson touchdown run on the next play to take a 7–0 lead. The Browns responded with a Dustin Hopkins field goal to get on the scoreboard, but the Ravens dominated the rest of the game. Jackson added a second touchdown run and two touchdown passes to Mark Andrews to give the Ravens a 28–3 victory. Meanwhile, the Ravens held Thompson-Robinson to 121 yards in the air and recorded three interceptions. The Browns were held to 166 total yards and 93 rushing yards (40 of which coming on a single Pierre Strong Jr. run in the game's final minute).

With the loss, the Browns entered their bye week at 2–2.

The Browns returned from their bye week with a game against the 5–0 San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco took their first drive 84 yards in five plays, culminating in a touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Christian McCaffrey to take an early 7–0 lead. On the Browns' first possession, quarterback P. J. Walker, getting the start in place of the injured Deshaun Watson, threw an interception which was returned to the Cleveland 25-yard line. However, San Francisco could not capitalize as kicker Jake Moody missed a long field goal attempt. In the second quarter, a Moody field goal increased San Francisco's lead to 10–0, but the Browns cut it to 10–7 on a Kareem Hunt 16-yard touchdown run.

The Browns opened the second half with a Dustin Hopkins field goal to tie the score and took a 13–10 lead late in the third quarter on another Hopkins field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, another Walker interception set the 49ers up at the Cleveland 8-yard line, and they would score a touchdown the next play to retake a 17–13 lead. The Browns took the ensuing drive 14 plays for 43 yards and cut the 49ers' lead to one point with Hopkins' third field goal of the half. After their defense forced a three-and-out, The Browns took their next drive deep into San Francisco territory but settled for another Hopkins field goal to take a 19–17 lead with 1:40 remaining in the game. San Francisco quickly drove into Cleveland territory but had to settle for a Moody field goal attempt with nine seconds remaining. Moody missed the kick wide right, preserving the Browns' win.

With the win, the Browns improved to 3–2. Hopkins was named AFC Special Teams Player of the week after his four field goal performance which included the game-winner.[48] Hopkins also became the first player in franchise history to kick a field goal of at least 50 yards in four straight games.[48]

After their three-game home stand, the Browns opened a string of five away games in seven weeks with a trip to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Both teams scored a touchdown on long plays on their first drives: The Browns on a Jerome Ford 69-yard run and the Colts on a Gardner Minshew 59-yard pass to Josh Downs. Later in the quarter, a Minshew touchdown run gave Indianapolis a 14–7 lead. In the second quarter, Cleveland tied the game on a Kareem Hunt touchdown run. Colts kicker Matt Gay lined up for a 60–yard field goal attempt on their next drive, but it was blocked by Myles Garrett, setting up a Dustin Hopkins 44-yard field goal to give the Browns a 17–14 lead. Indianapolis scored a touchdown on their next drive, but on their following drive, Garrett forced a Minshew fumble in the end zone, which was recovered by Tony Fields II in the end zone. A 54-yard field goal by Hopkins gave the Browns a 27–21 lead at halftime.

The Browns opened the scoring in the third quarter with a Hopkins field goal to extend their lead to 30–21. However, the Colts took the ensuing drive 75 yards, culminating in a touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor to cut the Browns' lead to 30–28. The teams traded field goals early in the fourth quarter, with Hopkins hitting a career-long 58-yard kick, to give the Browns a 33–31 lead. That lead lasted less than a minute, as Minshew quickly found Michael Pittman Jr. for a 75-yard touchdown pass to give the Colts a 38–33 lead. After the teams exchanged three-and-outs, the Browns drove 80 yards in 12 plays, with Hunt scoring a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Browns a 39–38 lead with 15 seconds remaining. A Colts fumble in the final seconds sealed the win.

With the win, the Browns improved to 4–2. Garrett was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick.[49] Hopkins was named AFC Special Teams Player of the week for a second consecutive week. He kicked four field goals on the day, three of which were over 50 yards, and became the first player in NFL history to make a field goal of at least 50 yards in five consecutive games.[49]