If the 2026 Cleveland Browns were a 1970s TV sitcom, on Monday’s game review they would have been saying, “Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!” But instead, the Browns are a professional football team, and as the game film continued, the coaching staff could be heard saying, “Penalties! Penalties! Penalties!” (or so we would assume).
The fact of the matter is, Cleveland is the most penalized team in the league. And that’s no laughing matter.
RELATED: RECENT LOSSES – WHICH IS MORE DISAPPOINTING?
At the halfway point
of the schedule, Cleveland is ranked #1 in team penalties. 82, to be exact, for 563 yards. That averages out to 9.1 penalties per game. 97 total flags, which also ranks #1. 13 declined, which is tied for #1. What is this called? The “best at something?”
Part of the problem is that the Browns’ offensive line is a collection of five new starters. Has that ever happened before in the league’s history? Probably, but wow, it stands out.
This is a critical aspect of this year’s roster. Yes, the offensive line is five athletes, but more importantly, it is considered one group instead of a handful of individual players. An offensive line works more on cohesiveness rather than single-man stats.
OT Tytus Howard came from the Houston Texans during free agency. Another free-agent signing was OG Zion Johnson, inked from the Los Angeles Chargers. OT Spencer Fano and OG Austin Barber are rookies. C Elgton Jenkins was signed away from the Green Bay Packers.
This means none of these guys were on the Browns roster last year. And none of them have played together at any point until they showed up for Browns training camp. This means they had to get to know each other and find a way to communicate during a game. Even in camp, there was no certainty about who the starting five would be, so this group didn’t get a chance to become cohesive right away.
Two holdovers from last year’s group, OT Dawand Jones and OG Teven Jenkins, have barely seen the field. In Jenkins’ case, he was penciled in at right guard before he started having back issues. He never started a game this year. On October 24, he was placed on IR.
Jones was expected to become one of the offensive tackles, but came out of camp as the backup and is more considered the “swing tackle,” meaning he can come in at any point and play either side. He has played with the offense in just three games, but is on the kick teams, so he has played in every game as a blocker.
What has this group contributed as far as team penalties?
For starters, the Browns are ranked as the most penalized offense in the league. Yeah, there’s that. This unit features 17 false starts and 12 holding calls across the roster. Great googly moogly. A whopping 41 pre-snap flags is leaps and bounds greater than any other team.
Is this because these five guys are still trying to figure each other out? Is it because there are two rookies starting? Is it because of the coaching style of OL coach George Warhop or his assistants? Is it because these players just aren’t very good?
It has to be something, right? Nobody seems to be able to place a finger on the exact issue, though. It’s a major problem and is keeping this Browns’ offense from reaching its potential. One thing everyone knows: It just keeps happening.
Now it’s time for individual stats:
- RT Tytus Howard: 10 total (7 false starts, 1 ineligible downfield, 1 holding, 1 declined)
- RG Austin Barber: 6 total (2 false starts, 4 holding)
- C Elgton Jenkins: 1 total (1 ineligible downfield, 1 declined)
- LG Zion Johnson: 9 total (2 false starts, 1 ineligible use of hands, 6 holding, 1 declined)
- LT Spencer Fano: 6 total (1 ineligible downfield, 5 holding, 4 declined)
- OT Dawand Jones: 2 total (2 ineligible formation, 1 declined)
- C Luke Wypler: 1 total (1 false start)
This accounts for 35 of the 97 total flags. Some notable penalties and fines:
- CB Tyson Campbell: Fined $23,882 by the NFL for “use of the helmet” during Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
- RG Austin Barber: Fined $6,944 for post-play involvement/celebrations.
- QB Deshaun Watson: Fined $14,926 for celebration/vulgar acts following a touchdown
- DE Sam Williams: Fined $6,361 for taunting during Week 8
- RT Tytus Howard: Leads the team in 10 total flags with 9 accepted
- RB Quinshon Judkins: Fined $11,941 for taunting in Week 8, and previously fined $14,926 for celebration/vulgar acts earlier in the season
In this year’s rankings of most penalties in a single game, the Browns rank tied at #2 with 14 accepted against the Steelers in Week 4, a 27-24 win. In the Top-20, Cleveland is listed twice.
On defense, DE Sam Williams leads the team in penalties with six accepted flags: 2 neutral zone infractions, 1 taunting, 1 roughing the passer, 1 illegal use of hands, and 1 face mask. Right behind him is DE Jared Verse with 6: 3 neutral zone infractions, 1 encroachment, 1 unnecessary roughness, 1 defensive offside, plus one declined.
Here is where the Browns stand league-wise with a breakdown of penalties:
Offensive holding: 18 total – ranked #4
False start: 17 – ranked #5
Neutral zone infraction: 9 – ranked #1
Delay of game: 6 – ranked #6
Illegal formation: 5 – ranked #1
Roughing the passer: 4 – ranked #2 (tie)
Defensive holding: 3 – ranked #5 (tie)
Too many men on the field: 2 – ranked #1
Illegal use of hands: 2 – ranked #2 (tie)
Taunting: 2 – ranked #1 (tie)
Encroachment: 2 – ranked #2 (tie)
Defensive offsides: 2 – ranked #7 (tie)
Defensive pass interference: 2 – ranked #9 (tie)
Illegal contact: 2 – ranked #4 (tie)
Face mask: 1 – ranked #4 (tie)
Unnecessary roughness: 1 – ranked #6 (tie)
Illegal shift: 1 – ranked #3 (tie)
Illegal downfield block: 1 – ranked #1 (tie)
Illegal touch kick: 1 – ranked #1 (tie)
Illegal block above the waist: 1 – ranked #4 (tie)
Illegal downfield pass: 1 – ranked #3 (tie)
Why do the Browns have so many penalties?
Take the game against the New Orleans Saints. Cleveland had six penalties called in the first quarter alone. But the team settled down and had 10 for the entire game. The week before, against Pittsburgh, seven flags were thrown against the Browns in the first half alone, with nine total. Seven were called on the offensive line, including two holding calls on the rookie tackle, Fano.
The pre-snap penalties are the ones most preventable. Every player knows when the actual snap will occur, so why jump?
LG Zion Johnson was asked about pre-snap penalties after the Saints loss in the post-game press conference. He said:
“It is a focus; it’s a big focus for us right now. We’re really attacking it in practice. When you’re playing on the road, there’s definitely an added level of difficulty with the communication and the pre-snap, getting the call in and cadence, all those types of things. But we’re just working each week to improve on those things. We’re going to have some games at home, which will definitely be better for us. We might be able to go verbal, those sorts of things that can help us. But each day we’re just striving to get better, whether we’re on the road or at home in those regards, and it just has to continue to be a focus and something we press on.”
The offensive line must attack it harder. If the issue is problematic in practices, will running laps cure that? That and/or stiff game fines? HC Todd Monken addressed the penalties recently:
Cleveland jumped out to a 5-2-0 start, beating some of the most mediocre teams in the league (except for Pittsburgh). They lost to the only good teams on their schedule, which means the franchise can only defeat the downtrodden clubs. They also lost to two bad clubs, which is troubling. Now, they are on a two-game losing skid.
This means the Browns are an average team at this point, but perhaps on the rise. But they aren’t talented enough to have a bevy of penalties that hurt key offensive drives or give the other team an advantage with some stupid defensive penalty.
Johnson’s assertion of a lack of focus on details seems fishy. These guys are paid a king’s ransom to pass-block and aid in the rushing attack. They are compensated extremely well to pay attention and already be focused. Nobody should have to remind them to be attentive to the details.
There is only one thing left to consider: It apparently is a lack of discipline. Is that coaching? The players? Both?
And if this problem persists, talk of a post-season berth will just get further and further out of the picture.
What do you think is the cause of the Browns penalty issues this year, specifically on the offensive line?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
