Cleveland, OH
Giants 2024 Opponent Report: Cleveland Browns, Week 3
The why is self-explanatory, and you’re well-versed in the where and when at this point in time. With the NFL calendar engaged in rare doldrums and most moves made and archived, it’s time to consider the who from a New York Giants perspective.
Giants On SI begins its look at the Giants’ upcoming adversaries in the 2024 season. Catch up with each team’s moves, where they stand, and, most importantly, how to beat them.
Who: Cleveland Browns
When: Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 22 (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH
Series History: CLE leads series 28-22-2 (Last: 20-6 CLE, 12/2020)
After several false starts, the Browns seem ready to embark on a journey that changes the perception of Cleveland football on a sustainable basis. Their fortunes seemed cooked when both Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson went down with season-ending injuries but the team staged a playoff push with Joe Flacco under center before running into a similarly upbeat Houston Texans group in the AFC’s opening round.
That perhaps provides the most prominent example of sustainable hope on the Cuyahoga River in an era defined by a polarizing contract for Watson. With his legal woes hanging over his every move, Watson has played only 12 under his current deal, his Cleveland career interrupted by injuries and a suspension.
Watson has lacked the trademark brand of firepower he had in Houston, posting a mere 81.7 passer rating in that fateful dozen. Before Watson was lost, Cleveland also had to make due without Nick Chubb, who didn’t last a full two games.
The Browns remembered to keep the understudy options in both categories well-stocked: Flacco moved on but the Browns added Tyler Huntley and Jameis Winston, who established themselves as reliable backups in Baltimore and New Orleans respectively.
Top rusher Jerome Ford (1,132 yards and nine scores combined) is back while D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines come aboard. Cleveland will hope that a familiar offensive line, anchored by Joel Bitonio, will keep them all well-protected.
In terms of weaponry, a resurgent Amari Cooper will continue to be dangerous in a contract year while the continued talents of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett speak for themselves.
Under the watch of Garrett and former divisional adversary Jim Schwartz, the Browns’ pass rush kept them afloat defensively: Garrett and Za’Darius Smith ranked in the top 10 in quarterback knockdowns and the team as a whole placed similarly in both knockdown and pressure rate.
Who’s In: LB Devin Bush (FA-SEA), RB D’Onta Foreman (FA-CHI), CB Justin Hardee (FA-NYJ), LB Jordan Hicks (FA-MIN), RB Nyheim Hines (FA-BUF), WR Jerry Jeudy (Trade-DEN), QB Jameis Winston (FA-NO)
Who’s Out: LB Matthew Adams (FA-NYG), QB Joe Flacco (FA-IND), CB Mike Ford (FA-IND), LB Sione Takitaki (FA-NE), LB Anthony Walker (FA-MIA)
Everyone is well-versed in the “Greatest Game Ever Played” from 1958, the epic Yankee Stadium showdown between the Giants and Baltimore Colts. While the Giants lost the game that changed the course of NFL history, they only made it that far thanks to two epic victories over the Browns.
With the teams vying for the right to face Baltimore, the Giants first took a regular season finale 13-10, a comeback victory featuring Bob Schnelker’s touchdown grab from Frank Gifford and a 49-yard field goal from Pat Summerall, one of the longest in NFL history at the time.
Despite the Giants winning both sets of the season series, a tiebreaking playoff was staged the following week to officially determine the championship combatant. Buoyed by a sterling defensive effort (316-87 in yardage,17-7 in first downs, two interceptions for Lindon Crowe and one for Sam Huff), the Giants needed only a Summerall field goal and a Charlie Conerly rushing score to nab a 10-0 victory.
Stoop For Coop
Cooper has found his way back after falling out of Dallas’ receiving rotation, amassing 2,410 yards since painting his helmet orange in 2022 (eighth-best in the league in that span). Even at his relatively advanced age (having turned 30 in June), Cooper will undoubtedly field his share of suitors if and when he hits the market next year.
With that in mind, the Browns have packed themselves with prospects for a potentially Cooper-free setting: Jerry Jeudy has come over from Denver in an attempt to reclaim the narrative of his NFL career the same way Elijah Moore did after falling out of the New York Jets’ favor. Mid-round draft picks like David Bell and Cedric Tillman could also be called upon to step up.
In short, the more the Giants’ developing secondary can bottle up Cooper and force Watson (or Winston or Huntley to rely on mere veteran potential) in an early test, the better. Over the past two seasons, the Browns are 3-7 when Cooper is targeted at least 10 times.
Go the Extra Myles
Sometimes the obvious solution is the best solution: dedicated to placing Daniel Jones under center, the Giants have to do their utmost to protect him.
Keeping Garrett out of the backfield will also be an early test for the Giants’ outside blocking. Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas have been reliable enough on the edge but the tight ends (will Theo Johnson be back by September?) could show how valuable they are beyond the box score.
One of the niche stats buried in Cleveland’s ledgers is how quickly they got their defense off the field: average opposing possessions lasted a mere 2:07 and less than five plays, both tops in the league. If the Giants can get their post-Saquon Barkley rushing attack rolling early on, they could pick up some early upset wins and tire out a Cleveland group that makes its living through backfield invasions (as well as neutralize a homegrown secondary headlined by Grant Delpit and Denzel Ward).
The 2026 NBA Draft has potential to be one of the best of all time.
Loaded with front of the draft talent, it also has some late players projected to be potential All-Stars or leaders of their teams.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers picking in the late first round on Tuesday, rumors are circulating on different options the Cavs could take with that pick.
Staying Put
If it turns out the Cavs would rather take their chances on the 29th pick and look for the best available there, it could work out. In recent mock drafts, multiple players are projected to be heading to Cleveland.
They could get lucky and have a player like Dailyn Swain or Jayden Quaintance fall to them. Two players projected in the 20-25 area, but could still fall to Cleveland. More recent reports and mock drafts seem to be leaning towards the Cavs taking big man Tarris Reed Jr. or Spanish wing Sergio De Larrea.
Those are areas of need for Cleveland that could come to be useful. But, there are other options with that pick.
Trading Up
It is very obvious that the Cleveland Cavaliers are tight on cap space. The 29th pick, although not a top pick, could become a valuable piece in any draft night trade.
Cleveland looks to be running Dennis Schroder through the news as somebody they may be looking to move on from. His contract is on the higher side for a player at his age and including the 29th pick with Schroder could get them up into that area of taking a more ready made player.
Getting into the lottery would be a tough task with just Schroder and a pick, but even picking late teens or early 20s would be a better outcome.
Another approach Koby Altman and the front office could look at would be going back.
Trading Down
That 29th pick has a cap hold on it that Altman may be looking at with the idea of dropping that down. A first round pick is guaranteed a four-year contract that could put them in a bad spot once again on their contracts.
Trading into the second round would not restrict them to an exact contract and they could sign somebody to a two-way contract and save them anywhere from $5 to $10 million in cap space.
Being in the second apron would make things hard because they wouldn’t be able to send cash in a trade. Making calls when it’s time for your pick would be the strategy with this decision.
Any team picking early in the second may have somebody they believe can make an impact immediately and could be open to a move.
There really are a multitude of decisions for Cleveland to make that all have pros and cons to them.
The NBA Draft takes place on June 23rd and 24th at 8:00 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.
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Cleveland, OH
Cleveland police arrest suspect in involuntary manslaughter investigation, find fentanyl and PCP
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Police worked with multiple agencies to arrest a man in an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and found drugs during a police search Wednesday.
The Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit worked with the U.S. Marshals Task Force to arrest 33-year-old James Williams as part of the division’s Violent Crime Reduction efforts.
Williams was taken into custody in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood in Cleveland’s Fourth District Wednesday.
He was previously wanted on an involuntary manslaughter investigation warrant in connection with three fatal drug overdoses, police say.
In November 2025, Williams was identified by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office as one of 37 suspects in a large-scale drug trafficking organization.
Police say that during the investigation into Williams, they seized thousands of grams of illegal narcotics.
After Williams’ arrest, the Narcotics Unit executed a search of his home.
During the search, police say the unit found 83 grams of suspected cocaine, 76 grams of suspected fentanyl and 824 grams of suspected PCP.
Investigators say they seized numerous items associated with drug manufacturing and distribution that contained suspected drug residue.
Investigators say Williams was involved in distributing dangerous narcotics, including mixtures containing fentanyl and xylazine, a drug commonly used as a tranquilizer for animals.
Police say when xylazine is mixed with fentanyl, it can increase the risk of overdose and death.
Police said Narcan can reverse the opioid effects of fentanyl, but it cannot reverse the effects of xylazine, which makes those overdoses dangerous and in need of medical intervention.
“Every day, these men and women dedicate countless hours to complex investigations aimed at removing violent offenders, illegal firearms, and dangerous narcotics from our neighborhoods. We remain deeply concerned about the presence of Xylazine, a dangerous substance that does not respond to Narcan and is contributing to fatal overdoses,” Chief Dorothy Todd said. “We are grateful for the continued dedication of our local, state, and federal partners as we work together to reduce violent crime, disrupt criminal organizations, and keep Cleveland’s residents safe.”
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A 28-year-old woman is dead, and three children are hospitalized following a one-car rollover accident in Elyria Township in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike.
The crash happened around 11:54 a.m. at milepost 146.3.
During the investigation of the crash OSHP learned that the crash happened when the Toyota RAV4, driven by Najalee N. Rivera, drove off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail, and overturned.
The vehicle was also occupied by three children. A 7-year-old boy, a 8-year-old girl, and 4-year-old girl all from Lorain, they all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by LifeCare Ambulance to University Elyria Hospital.
Rivera was not wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash, according to OSHP.
Two of the lanes were reopened about 4:15 p.m., according to a social media post from the Ohio Turnpike.
Check back with 19 News for the latest on this story.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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