30. Cleveland Browns
At this point, we all know what the Cleveland Browns are. This is a rebuilding team that is capable of an occasionally impressive defensive performance. Heck, the Browns’ signature win this year against the Packers might actually end up being one of the most impressive wins of the season when all is said and done. With that in mind, the Browns came crashing back to earth in a rough loss to the Steelers on Sunday.
If nothing else, the Browns are getting a good look at Dillon Gabriel after the trade sending Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Gabriel threw a whopping 52 passes against the Steelers on Sunday and took six sacks on top of it. Come to think of it, the fact that Gabriel threw 50-plus passes and was barely able to eclipse 200 yards probably speaks volumes.
Harold Fannin led the team in receiving, and Carson Schwesinger continues to look like a dude defensively.
This year is all about finding pieces this team can build around going forward, and the Browns are slowly finding those. Mason Graham and Schwesinger have been great, and the discovery process is going fine on offense. This team should be selling before the deadline pretty significantly.
29. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals put up a better fight against the Green Bay Packers this weekend than expected, but the last-ditch effort with Joe Flacco at quarterback is off to an 0-1 start.
The Bengals brought Flacco in via trade with the Browns -- the first-ever trade between those two franchises, in hopes that he could at least get the playmakers involved. And to Flacco's credit, he was able to do that. But there is a ceiling on what he provides.
The Bengals made the deal to acquire Flacco when they did because they weren't going to throw in the towel on this season just like that after re-signing Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Mike Gesicki, and Trey Hendrickson. This franchise has never spent so much money on players, so I get the process here. But ultimately, it feels like a half-hearted attempt at saving face more than it does doing whatever it takes to capitalize on the window you're in.