The NFL Trade Deadline came and went for the Cleveland Browns and the team will look the same in Week 9, basically, as it did in Week 8. The Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a turning point of the 2021 NFL season but there is a lot to be decided before the season ends.
While some fans hoped for a major shakeup on the offense, the team will have to move forward with the players they have. The defense, which added a load of talent this offseason, will have to find a way to make things work with that talent.
With high expectations coming into the season, Cleveland has disappointed with their 4 – 4 start. The team has failed to put a good game together on both sides of the ball and failed to stay healthy despite that being their primary goal during the offseason.
It was clear going into the deadline that there wasn’t one trade that would change the Browns outcome this season. Andrew Berry and company are not ones to make a trade just to make a trade.
The team (and fans) now turn the page to this week’s AFC North matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. A game that looked, to many, as a win before the season now sees the Browns as likely underdogs on the road. With nine games left and the Bengals ahead of them in the division, Week 9 is vital to save the season from falling apart.
Reinforcements are not on the way via a trade so Kevin Stefanski, Joe Woods, Alex Van Pelt and the team must find a way to right the ship for 2021.