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CLEVELAND – On the one hand, the suggestion sounds like a sacrilege. On the other hand, you felt late, almost deserved.
It's also a bit premature, as rookies Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward have won just three games in the Browns' career.
But considering their performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday 28-16 against FirstEnergy Stadium, it became clear that the first class of the general manager John Dorsey could be the best Browns since the linebacker Clay Matthews and the half-tight Ozzie Newsome scored 1A and 1B in 1978.
Mayfield, Chubb and Ward could even surpass Matthews and Newsome, as the trio includes two of the top three positions in the game – the quarterback (Mayfield, first overall) and the cornerback (Ward fourth) – and a another position of skill, the running back (Chubb, second round, 35th overall).
Some might take offense at putting these three people in the same category as Newsome, who was voted in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and Matthews, among the 102 nominees of the modern day for the 2019 promotion.
But the drafts of the Browns are so poor for so long that they have become laughable, men who choose the choices choose almost the whole city because of their mistakes. The current list includes 14 players from the selection of the Browns before 2017. Of these, none is a member of the first round and two are in the reserve of the wounded.
Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel in the first round, 1B and 1D in 2014, both out of the league. Corey Coleman, Danny Shelton, Mingo Barkevious, Trent Richardson, even the names induce pain.
Dorsey could have a big deficit in his top four if offensive lineman Austin Corbett, the 33rd overall pick who has been inactive twice this season, does not get started. But the flash of Mayfield, Chubb and Ward can blind those who criticize Corbett's choice.
Against the Falcons, Mayfield completed 17 of 20 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns. His pass mark of 151.2 was the highest by a Browns rookie and the fifth highest in team history. The other four belonged to Otto Graham (158.33 in 1954), Brian Sipe (158.33, 1978) and Milt Plum (154.86 in 1960, 153.94 in 1959).
Chubb covered 176 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown that was the longest race in the history of the Browns, surpassing the Bobby Mitchell Hall of Fame's 90-meter mark in 1959. The Chubb TD was the second longest by a rookie in the history of the league. only by Bobby Gage of the Pittsburgh Steelers (97 yards in 1949). Chubb also caught three passes for 33 yards and another score.
Ward nearly made his fourth interception of the season with 9:08 left in the third quarter. Ohio State and Nordonia High School entered the week tied for fifth place in the league with three more medals, and three breaks in nine assists for the fourth. In an opening tie with the Steelers, Ward became the Browns' second rookie to record two interceptions in his debut, joining Clarence Scott (the 14th overall pick in 1971).
Gil Brandt, former vice president of Dallas Cowboys' staff from 1960 to 1989 who now works for the league, tweeted on Sunday that the Browns had three legitimate rookie candidates this year. They dominated the NFL rookie of the week, Pepsi, winning five out of nine times. Mayfield and Chubb will fight – is equality possible? – for this one.
The Browns class in 2019 is starting to take off and the future of the recruits is nothing short of spectacular.
"These guys are important players," said Browns left-hand guard Joel Bitonio. "That's what you need to type, the first choices. It's funny to see you have a quarterback and a running back, two recruits and they play well for each other. It's fun to be part of. I'm excited to block for them for a long time, hopefully. "
It's unclear why former Browns coach Hue Jackson did not give any training camp streaks to Mayfield with the first team, spending the summer preparing veteran Tyrod Taylor. (Mayfield's three defeats against the Falcons were for starter Jarvis Landry, with whom Mayfield had no pre-season job.) It is still incomprehensible that former offensive coordinator, Todd Haley, was did not trust Chubb, leaving the majority of the time to Carlos Hyde Dorsey solved this problem by exchanging Hyde on October 19th.
"Obviously, at the beginning of the year, Denzel created a ton of plays for us," Mayfield said of his rookie class. "We knew the potential we had, but now that Nick is in the game and I play a lot more, it's just that we have guys doing their job. We have all been brought here for a reason. We are now able to … show what we are capable of doing. "
To return to his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dorsey has selected rookie Pro Bowler in every draft since 2015, including midfielder Marcus Peters (18th overall in 2015), wide receiver Tyreek Hill ( 165th in 2016) and half Kareem Hunt (86th in 2017). If this series finishes this season, it could be more due to a tough competition at the Mayfield, Chubb and Ward positions.
But the trio seems to be heading for glory, even if it is not this year. Comrades Matthews and Newsome have finally found a class worthy of passing the torch. Mayfield, Chubb and Ward's enthusiasm for the future, further reinforced by futility, may soon make us forget the ludicrous choices of the past.
Marla Ridenour can be contacted at [email protected]. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.
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