| 2012 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Pat Shurmur |
| General Manager | Tom Heckert |
| Home Field | Cleveland Browns Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Place | 4th AFC North |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | T Joe Thomas K Phil Dawson |
| Uniform | |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2011 | 2013 |
The 2012 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 66th season as a professional sports franchise and its 62nd season as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The team attempted to improve on its 2011 season, where it finished with a record of 4–12 and placed fourth in the AFC North. The team also attempted to break its 9-year playoff drought, the longest in franchise history. The season marked the third season under the leadership of team president Mike Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert, and the second season under head coach Pat Shurmur. The Browns played all of their home games at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
Off-season[]
Roster Changes[]
Free Agency[]
| Pos | Player | Tag | Date signed | 2012 team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Mike Adams | UFA | March 15[1] | Denver Broncos | |
| DE | Marcus Benard | RFA | |||
| ILB | Titus Brown | ERFA/UFA[2] | |||
| G | Oniel Cousins | UFA | March 15[3] | Cleveland Browns | |
| K | Phil Dawson | UFA/FT[4] | March 13[5] | Cleveland Browns | |
| G | John Greco | UFA | March 13[6] | Cleveland Browns | |
| T | Artis Hicks | UFA | March 15[7] | Miami Dolphins | |
| RB | Peyton Hillis | UFA | March 14[8] | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| ILB | D'Qwell Jackson | UFA | February 27[9] | Cleveland Browns | |
| P | Brad Maynard | UFA | |||
| WR | Jordan Norwood | ERFA | April 16[10] | Cleveland Browns | |
| CB | Dimitri Patterson | UFA | March 15[11] | Cleveland Browns | |
| DT | Brian Schaefering | ERFA | March 15[3] | Cleveland Browns | |
| TE | Alex Smith | UFA | March 13[12] | Cleveland Browns | |
| C | Steve Vallos | UFA | March 19[13] | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, FT: Franchise tag | |||||
| Player re-signed by Browns |
2012 Draft Class[]
- Main article: 2012 NFL Draft
The draft occurred from April 26–28. The Browns had an NFL-high eleven selections.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3[a] | Trent Richardson | RB | Alabama |
| 22[b] | Brandon Weeden | QB | Oklahoma State | |
| 2 | 37 | Mitchell Schwartz | OT | California |
| 3 | 87[c] | John Hughes | DT | Cincinnati |
| 4 | 100 | Travis Benjamin | WR | Miami (FL) |
| 120[c] | James-Michael Johnson | LB | Nevada | |
| 5 | 160[d] | Ryan Miller | G | Colorado |
| 6[e] | 204[f] | Emmanuel Acho | LB | Texas |
| 205[f] | Billy Winn | DT | Boise State | |
| 7 | 245[f] | Trevin Wade | CB | Arizona |
| 247[f] | Brad Smelley | FB | Alabama |
NOTES:
- ^[a] The Browns acquired the Atlanta Falcons' 2012 first- and fourth-round selections and 2011 first-, second-, and fourth-round selections for Cleveland's 2011 first-round selection.
- ^[b] Although the Browns have a seventh round pick, they traded their original selection in this round to the Minnesota Vikings for DE Jayme Mitchell.
- ^[c] The Browns acquired the Denver Broncos' 2012 seventh round selection, a 2011 sixth round selection, and RB Peyton Hillis for QB Brady Quinn.
- Exact numbers of the selections from rounds 4–7 will be determined later in the spring after compensatory selections are awarded.
Preseason[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score |
Team record | |||||
| 1 | August 10 | at Detroit | W 19-17 | 1-0 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 16 | at Green Bay | W 35-10 | 2-0 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 24 | Philadelphia | L 10-27 | 2-1 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 30 | Chicago | L 20-28 | 2-2 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
Regular Season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score |
Team record | |||||
| 1 | September 9 | Philadelphia | L 16–17 | 0–1 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 16 | at Cincinnati | L 27–34 | 0–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 23 | Buffalo | L 14–24 | 0–3 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 27 | at Baltimore | L 16–23 | 0–4 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 7 | at NY Giants | L 27–41 | 0–5 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 14 | Cincinnati | W 34–24 | 1–5 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 21 | at Indianapolis | L 13–17 | 1–6 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 28 | San Diego | W 7–6 | 2–6 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 4 | Baltimore | L 15–25 | 2–7 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | Bye | |||||
| 11 | November 18 | at Dallas | L 20–23 (OT) | 2–8 | Cowboys Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 25 | Pittsburgh | W 20–14 | 3–8 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 2 | at Oakland | W 20–17 | 4–8 | O.co Coliseum | Recap |
| 14 | December 9 | Kansas City | W 30–7 | 5–8 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 16 | Washington | L 21–38 | 5–9 | Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 23 | at Denver | L 12–34 | 5–10 | Mile High | Recap |
| 17 | December 30 | at Pittsburgh | L 10–24 | 5–11 | Heinz Field | Recap |
LEGEND:
- Bold indicates division games.
References[]
- ↑ Broncos sign FS Adams
- ↑ Titus Brown not Tendered
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Browns re-sign G Cousins and DT Schaffering
- ↑ Cabot, Mary Kay (March 2, 2012). Cleveland Browns put franchise tag on longtime kicker Phil Dawson. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved on March 4, 2011.
- ↑ Florio, Mike (March 13, 2012). accessdate=March 17, 2012 Phil Dawson signs franchise tender. NBC Sports.
- ↑ Browns re-sign G Greco
- ↑ Dolphins Sign T Hicks
- ↑ Chiefs sign free-agent RB Peyton Hillis. Associated Press (March 15, 2012). Retrieved on March 15, 2012.
- ↑ Cabot, Mary Kay (February 27, 2012). Cleveland Browns sign LB D'Qwell Jackson to five-year, $42.5 million deal. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved on February 27, 2012.
- ↑ Browns re-sign WR Norwood
- ↑ Hensley, Jamison (March 15, 2012). Report: Browns keep CB Dimitri Patterson. ESPN.com. Retrieved on March 16, 2012.
- ↑ Browns re-sign TE Smith
- ↑ Eagles Sign C Vallos