Quinshon Judkins can’t get going, wide receiver reps change in Browns offense

You hate to throw things out the window in terms of judgment of this game, but that’s sort of what I did with respect to the Browns’ offensive performance against the Jets. It was raining all game, and got heavier in the fourth quarter. When the rain was forecast, my expectations turned to a low-scoring game, with the potential for some turnovers. Why, then, would I get extra concerned about the offense because my expectations were met?

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 5 game against the New York Jets.

Quarterback

• The Jets were able to sack Deshaun Watson eight times. Between that, the running game not working, and a few penalties, we saw Watson try to push the ball downfield a few times in earlier downs to make up yards. It went against the formula of taking those short, open passes in previous weeks to help get easy, efficient yards.
• I also thought later in the game that Watson tried to take off a few times in situations where he probably should’ve tried to let something rip, even if it led to an interception. Granted, we didn’t see what the receiving opportunities looked like on those plays, but still. I’m thinking more about the 4th-and-11 sack he took to conclude the game.
• PFF graded Watson out to a 48.2 on offense.

Running Back

• I remain down on Quinshon Judkins. I feel like I’m beating a dead horse each week, but when you see all of the team’s impressive rookies, Judkins has fallen to the back of the line. There is nothing about his running style or ability right now that looks special or even starter-worthy. He does not look like the same back from pre-injury a year ago. PFF graded him as the team’s worst offensive player (41.7).
• What really drove me crazy about Judkins is him going out of bounds to stop the clock with about four minutes to go, right after the defense got the turnover. I know there are other things that contributed to the loss, but I wonder if that created a trickle down effect of needing to throw the ball as opposed to running more clock, which led to the butterfly effect of the bad punt snap and go-ahead touchdown for the Jets.
• Jaleel McLaughlin received some more snaps this week. Unfortunately, he dropped the one open pass that came his way that could have been a pretty decent-looking gain in the first half.

Wide Receiver

• Once again, Denzel Boston came up with a big catch, using his speed and size to haul in a go-ahead touchdown catch mid-way through the fourth quarter.
• KC Concepcion got two early targets, but the second one didn’t count because he was knocked out (penalty negates the target). Even though you have the next-man up mentality, when you consider the timing Watson tries to build with the receivers, and the rain, that certainly could’ve impacted the game.
• For example, Isaiah Bond got a huge boost in reps this week. In fact, Boston, he, and Jerry Jeudy all had 70%+ of the snaps, so Cleveland went with more three-receiver looks. But Bond had more big-play opportunities come his way. Watson just barely missed a touchdown pass to him, throwing it beyond his reach. And trying to rally late, Watson hit him open over the middle and he dropped it. Despite that, PFF graded Bond out to a 63.7.

Tight End

• Harold Fannin only had one catch late and was a non-factor in the rainy conditions. He was the Browns’ second-lowest graded player by PFF, grading out to a 43.9.

Offensive Line

• Tytus Howard was dinged up early in the game, tried to return, and eventually seemed to give way to Dawand Jones. I know Howard hasn’t been the best this season, but Dawand Jones was the team’s lowest-graded lineman (46.9) by a wide margin this week, as Zion Johnson, Spencer Fano, and Elgton Jenkins all graded respectably despite all the sacks we saw.