Cleveland Browns face familiar crossroads after 1-5 start

It was at that point in the year, when the team started 2-5-1 and seemed as dysfunctional as ever, they chose to make the switch, naming then–defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the interim head coach, and taking the handcuffs off rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. They let him be himself and play free, bringing new juice to the Browns’ offense.

The team finished the season 5-3, playing some weaker competition, but the momentum from that season served as the foundation for their 2020 success.

There’s a chance for an eerily similar scenario to unfold in Cleveland this season if Jimmy Haslam loses his patience with head coach Kevin Stefanski and decides a mid-season move could be deemed necessary. If the Browns lose a game at home to the Miami Dolphins — who they are currently favored to beat — and then suffer another embarrassing loss to the Patriots in Foxborough heading into a bye week, this could become a reality.

The necessary keys for Cleveland to rediscover some of that mid-season magic from 2018 would involve promoting current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and making the move to fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Cleveland desperately needs a spark — and fast. Sanders has the same level of confidence and infectiousness that Baker Mayfield displayed during his time in Cleveland, getting fans and teammates alike to believe in him.

No matter the team’s history or stigma, pairing that with making the heart and soul of the defense the head coach — allowing the team to embody the toughness Schwartz brings — could be the 180-degree shift this team needs to save everyone from letting go of the rope before we even hit the trade deadline.

After the bye week, the Browns face a host of winnable games, including the Jets, Raiders, Titans, and Ravens, who all have two wins or fewer on the year. If the change is going to come during the season, we could be closer to it than we think.