The Cleveland Browns have made many different mistakes throughout the history of the franchise. Whether it be a bad draft pick, a bad trade, or signing and cutting the wrong players, they simply have made a lot of errors in their decisions.
While it is always painful to remember the mistakes, it’s also interesting to revisit them.
The most recent massive mistake was the blockbuster trade to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson. Many believe that the trade will go down as the worst in NFL history. That remains to be seen, but it’s certainly trending in that direction.
However, there is another mistake that came back in the 2011 NFL Draft.
In that draft, the Browns chose to pass on superstar wide receiver Julio Jones. Instead, they traded the No. 6 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons for draft capital.
As everyone knows, Jones went on to be one of the most prolific wide receivers in recent NFL history. What did Cleveland get in return for giving up the right to bring Jones onboard?
They ended up with quarterback Brandon Weeden, wide receiver Greg Little, defensive lineman Phil Taylor, and fullback Owen Marecic.
Seeing that return is a brutal gut punch for Browns fans. Jones would have helped the Cleveland offense during an offense that it struggled mightily. Things may very well have been different for the franchise had they not made that mistake.
Jones went on to have an amazing 166-game career thus far. He caught 914 passes for 13,703 yards, and 66 touchdowns.
Can you imagine Jones starring for the Browns’ offense? Fans missed out on a ton of entertainment and potentially a lot more winning.
Sometimes, trading away picks can be just as bad as drafting the wrong player. Clearly, the franchise also drafted the wrong players with the picks they got for trading the rights to Jones away.
This mistake is not one that’s talked about very often, but it’s all too real. Keep checking back, as we’ll be highlighting more of the mistakes that Cleveland has made over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, this scenario is just the first of many.
