Jimmy Haslam and Browns have stolen all joy from Cleveland after Nick Chubb injury

The Cleveland Browns have officially hit rock bottom. The hype around Jameis Winston's ignition of this offense has dissipated, the Browns are continuing their downward spiral toward a top-five pick in the NFL Draft. And perhaps the worst case scenario of Nick Chubb suffering yet another injury. 

Chubb started the year on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in Week 2 of last year. After being activated earlier this year and eventually making his season debut, it was clear he wasn’t quite himself. But it was going to take time for Chubb to get back to his explosive plays – if he ever could get back there. 

And things took a turn for the worst when Chubb broke his foot in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Browns fans should be excited about what the team will do in the draft, as that’s the only thing to look forward to at this point in the season. Yet it’s hard to do that, when Chubb’s latest injury shines light on a doomed future. 

Cleveland Browns future becomes less optimistic as Nick Chubb injury is a dagger to Browns fans

What makes this feel like a lost cause is the front office has shown as of late their decision making around the team is flawed. And with Chubb’s injury, it adds another positional need Cleveland has to address in the offseason and draft. 

Nothing has gone right since Deshaun Watson was supposed to save the Browns from their miserable state of quarterback purgatory. Since he’s arrived, Watson has underperformed on one of the most expensive contracts an NFL player has ever signed. He’s lost more games than he’s won and been outplayed by two veterans who were closer to retiring than they were playing again. 

And that’s just the quarterback play. This team can’t find a left tackle as Germain Ifedi proved just as bad as Jedrick Wills. The offensive line as a whole has been terrible this year, which becomes an immediate need, even more than a quarterback. 

On top of that, the defense that was once atop the NFL ranks last year, couldn’t be closer to the bottom this year. After this season retracted further than any Browns fan could imagine after the high of last year, there’s no reason they should have any faith this front office can fix these issues. 

Andrew Berry has made it clear roster construction isn’t his strength and his draft pick selections validate he’s not the right person for the job. Jimmy Haslam is more concerned with overpaying the wrong quarterback and moving the team out of Cleveland than fixing the dumpster fire he’s funding. 

And Kevin Stefanski can’t stop the bleeding fast enough. Stefanski has gotten the benefit of the doubt because he’s won two coach of the year awards, but he can’t continue to get excuses after how bad this season has gone. 

This is more than a quarterback issue, more than injury problems and more than game day schemes. The problems Cleveland has are organizational and until changes are made, Browns fans should expect more of the same.

The Haslams have a lot to think about as they move forward. Watson notwithstanding, some tough conversations and decisions need to be made. It’s the least the fans deserve as things continue to regress.