Browns clinch No. 1 draft pick for 2nd year in a row

Chalk up another dubious accomplishment for the Factory of Sadness. Cleveland has locked up the top pick for the second season in a row.

Sunday’s loss to the Bears — Chicago’s first as a betting favorite under head coach John Fox — marked another 15-loss season for the Browns. Cleveland, at 0-15, has just one more chance to avoid the ignominy of a winless season. The Browns face the Steelers next weekend.

Not only did clinch the top pick in the 2018 draft, but they got it done more quickly than they did last season. Progress! The Browns didn’t clinch the top pick until Week 17 last season.

The Browns used that pick on Myles Garrett, who was a good choice. A high ankle sprain kept him off the field early in the season, but he has six sacks so far in 10 games. If new general manager John Dorsey can land a similar talent with this year’s No. 1 pick, things may start looking up for Cleveland.

The legacy just-fired executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown leaves behind for the Browns is this: They have five picks to work with over the first two rounds of the 2018 draft.

The Browns have an additional first rounder this year from the No. 12 pick they traded to the Texans last year so Houston could draft Deshaun Watson. Depending on how the Texans’ season shakes out, the Browns could add another top-five pick to the first overall selection.

They may want to look toward Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen, or Sam Darnold with that pick. Cleveland drafted DeShone Kizer in the second round last season. But owner Jimmy Haslam said last week that new general manager John Dorsey’s top priority is finally finding the franchise quarterback this team has been looking for over nearly two decades.

The Browns have taken Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel in the first round since 1999. If the Browns do use the first overall pick on a quarterback in the 2018 draft, maybe it will work out better for them this time around.