Remember how excited Cleveland Browns fans were when the team’s newest front office was introduced? The thrill of having Hue Jackson – seen as the best available coach – choose Cleveland despite the numerous reasons not to? The league-wide intrigue of the Browns applying an analytics-focused strategy, led by “Moneyball” expert Paul DePodesta?

I only ask because based on how things have gone since the new league year opened, a lot of people forgot all those positive vibes.

Outside of ousting much-maligned quarterback Johnny Manziel, Cleveland’s new bosses have made nothing but questionable moves lately. The team let all four of its marquee free agents walk, some without even the slightest bit of fight. There were rumors of a potential trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which suddenly stalled when it was reported the Browns were asking him to take a sizable pay cut. Throughout the league, media pundits have made Cleveland a punching bag, venting on and on about how bad things are getting.

DePodesta himself has received the jeers directly, claiming he overheard officials from other teams mocking both he and the Browns during the NFL Combine. However, it appears he’s taking the high road, shrugging the jokes off and claiming it’s all “part of the fun.”

Right now, it’s tough to believe any Cleveland fans are having the same fun. The doubt surrounding the Browns is becoming deafening, and everyone is now wondering whether or not this new strategy is about to backfire.

This all needs to be prefaced with an obvious fact – it’s early. The league year isn’t even a full week old, so you really can’t go all-in on the idea Cleveland’s new front office is driving the team further into the ground. Not yet, at least.

At the same time, it’s tough to think of a worse way to get this new rebuild going.

Common thought was, despite the fact the Browns appear to be going through a tear-down, it at least made sense to retain some of the free agents to hopefully shorten the process. Instead, every player bailed so quickly they left dust clouds.

You also had to think Cleveland would at least sign a couple notable free agents outside of the organization to try and add some talent. However, the team made minimal effort in the free agency market, signing only linebacker Justin Tuggle and o-lineman Alvin Bailey, two players nobody has really heard of.

If analytics says the best way to build a winning team is to shed as much talent as possible, the Browns are off to a great start. I’d like to think that isn’t what the new regime is trying to do, but it’s tough to ignore the tactics being implemented here.

It should be noted, though, Cleveland has been preaching patience ever since the new hires were made. Obviously it’s tough for fans of a team which has two winning seasons since 1999 to sit and wait any longer. Still, the Browns certainly don’t appear to be veering away from the patient approach to rebuilding.

Additionally, while many see Cleveland letting players like Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack go as a crime, the team could easily look at is as allowing key players from a particularly terrible season walk away. At the end of the day, the Browns were 3-13 last year, hardly a record which indicates there was a core group of players which needed to stay intact.

Despite all of this, though, fans are quickly becoming concerned. Cleveland, at the moment, seems aimless, sitting on its hands while the rest of the league laughs in its face. With an incredibly important draft fast approaching, many are beginning to fear this will once again be another year where picks are wasted on busts because the front office tried to outsmart the league again.

It’d be ludicrous for anyone to expect great things from the 2016 Browns, yet somehow the moves of the new regime are making people lower expectations even further. For now, we’ll just have to stay as patient as the front office is encouraging us to be, hoping this isn’t another episode of a moribund franchise setting itself back even further.