Wyatt Teller doesn’t believe there’s such a thing as “meaningless” games for an NFL player. The Browns Pro Bowl right guard doesn’t believe in the idea of “nothing to play for” when it comes to players and coaches.
“Every game’s a part of your resume,” Teller said Monday. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in the playoffs or not, or in playoff contention. Every single play you’re out there, you have to put good film out because that’s hopefully you’re working for the next contract. I’m working for an extension so I can stay here in Cleveland for the next 50 years.
“So you’re always fighting for something, you’re always working for something. You also have a family and a brotherhood within the team that you’re not going to let down.”
The last vestiges of hope for the Browns’ season disappeared in the past eight days. A 41-32 loss on Dec. 2 at the Denver Broncos assured Cleveland of a losing season.
Sunday’s 27-14 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers delivered the knockout blow. It officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention, leaving them 3-10.
It’s the earliest the Browns have been eliminated from playoff contention in the five seasons Kevin Stefanski has been coach and Andrew Berry has been the general manager. They lasted until Week 17 — a loss at Pittsburgh, no less — before being eliminated in their 8-9 season in 2021, and it was a week earlier — a Week 16 home loss to New Orleans — in their 7-10 season in 2022.
“Yeah, we got four games left,” linebacker Devin Bush said. “I mean, of course we all know our situation, we all know what’s going on, so I mean it is all about just going out there competing. I mean, we all get a chance this year to be NFL players, and with this business everything changes after the year, so everything’s in front of us and we just got to go out there and just keep competing.”
The questions have already started to be asked to Stefanski about just which players he will be putting on the field. One of the biggest has been about quarterback, whether to go forward with Jameis Winston or get another, longer look at second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Stefanski put that to bed Monday, at least for next Sunday’s home game against the 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs, by saying Winston was going to remain the starter. He wouldn’t go any further down the road regarding those decisions, be it quarterback or elsewhere, when asked.
“Well, I would tell you, obviously Andrew and I collaborate on a lot of decisions,” Stefanski said. “We’ll continue to do that and talk about those type of things. I think for me and for us and for us as an organization, really our focus goes to finding a way to win this week versus Kansas City.”
Once the Browns get through the Chiefs, they’ll sandwich two road AFC North game at the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens around a home game against the Miami Dolphins. The Bengals are teetering toward joining Cleveland in the group of teams both destined to finish with a losing record and out of the playoffs, while the Ravens are still in contention for the division title and the Dolphins are trying to hang in the playoff race.
The Browns, meanwhile, are where they’ve been for now 22 of the last 26 seasons. They’re stuck with another losing season and no playoff hopes.
Teller doesn’t know if or when a desire to see the younger players may take over the organization’s decision making. It’s not something he’s really interested in with four games left.
“If they’re keeping score, we’re trying to win. I don’t want to speculate on anything — that’s coaches’ decisions and everything like that,” Teller said. “Like you said, the power’s that be, but I’m going to play as hard as I can. I’m going to practice as hard as I can and make sure that everybody else is bringing the same effort. I’m still going to show up same time I’ve showed up all year. I’m still going to study the same way I study and take care of my job the same way I’ve taking care of my job all year.”
