1954 Cleveland Browns

The 1954 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fifth season with the National Football League. The Browns' defense became the first defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards allowed, fewest passing yards allowed and fewest total yards allowed. Assistant coach Weeb Ewbank left the club to coach the Baltimore Colts.

Offseason
Defensive Back Don Paul arrived via a trade with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins acquired Paul from the Chicago Cardinals. Upon his arrival in Washington, he fell in disfavour with George Preston Marshall of the Redskins.

NFL Draft
The 1954 NFL Draft was one of the biggest busts in Browns history. In the first round, the club selected John Bauer. He would never play for the Browns and only played in two NFL games in his career. The Browns also drafted quarterback Bobby Garrett out of Stanford University. The plan was that he would be the heir to Otto Graham. Garrett suffered from a stuttering problem which hindered his performance in the huddle. Eventually, Garrett would be traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Babe Parilli, although Parilli would not play for the Browns until 1958.