| Team: | Cleveland Browns |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Owner: | Al Lerner (Until October 2, 2002) Randy Lerner (Took position October 2, 2002) |
| Coach: | Butch Davis |
| Off Coach: | Bruce Arians |
| Def Coach: | Foge Fazio |
| Stadium: | Cleveland Browns Stadium |
| Radio: | WTAM WMMS |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC North |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Steelers) 33–36 |
| Pro Bowlers: | none |
| Shortnavlink: | Browns seasons |
The 2002 season was the Cleveland Browns' 54th as a professional sports franchise, their 50th as a member of the National Football League, and the second season under head coach Butch Davis.
In their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns a victory when he threw his helmet in celebration unaware the play was still going on, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Because the clock expired during the play the Browns' unsportsmanlike conduct occurred on, per NFL rules, the Chiefs were given one untimed down. Chiefs' kicker Morten Andersen made the 30-yard field goal to win the game.
The Browns made their first playoff appearance since their re-activation. It was only the Browns' fourth year since returning to the league effectively as an expansion team, and their first winning season. The Browns faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round at Heinz Field. Despite a strong start with a 24–7 lead late in the third quarter, the Steelers would ultimately bounce back erasing a 17 point deficit, causing the Browns to lose 36–33. The Browns would not make the NFL playoffs again until 2020, when they would again face the Steelers in the wild card round.The Browns owner Al Lerner stepped down on October 2 and died on October 23, 2002, from brain cancer. His son, Randy Lerner took over the team until 2012. The Browns wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season and became a fixture on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner.
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| T Ryan Tucker (Rams) | LB Wali Rainer (Jaguars) | |
| FS Robert Griffith (Vikings) | T Roman Oben (Buccaneers) | |
| LB Earl Holmes (Steelers) | DE Greg Spires (Buccaneers) | |
| DE Kenard Lang (Redskins) | DE Keith McKenzie (Bears) |
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | William Green | Running back | Boston College | |
| 2 | 47 | André Davis | Wide receiver | Virginia Tech | |
| 3 | 76 | Melvin Fowler | Center | Maryland | |
| 4 | 101 | Kevin Bentley | Linebacker | Northwestern | |
| 4 | 111 | Ben Taylor | Linebacker | Virginia Tech | |
| 4 | 122 | Darnell Sanders | Tight end | Ohio State | |
| 5 | 141 | Andra Davis | Linebacker | Florida | |
| 7 | 227 | Joaquin Gonzalez | Offensive tackle | Miami |
| Frisman Jackson | Wide receiver | Western Illinois | |
| Kalvin Pearson | Safety | Grambling State |
Apart from their AFC North division games, the Browns played against the AFC South and NFC South according to the NFL's new conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jets based on 2001 standings with respect to the newly aligned divisions.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | L 39–40 | 0–1 | 72,938 | ||||
| 2 | September 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,358 | ||
| 3 | September 22 | W 31–28 (OT) | 2–1 | 68,804 | ||||
| 4 | September 29 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–16 (OT) | 2–2 | 62,864 | |||
| 5 | October 6 | Baltimore Ravens | L 21–26 | 2–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,688 | ||
| 6 | October 13 | L 3–17 | 2–4 | 65,625 | ||||
| 7 | October 20 | W 34–17 | 3–4 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,248 | |||
| 8 | October 27 | W 24–21 | 4–4 | 78,502 | ||||
| 9 | November 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–23 | 4–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,718 | ||
| 10 | Bye | |||||||
| 11 | November 17 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–20 | 5–5 | 64,060 | |||
| 12 | November 24 | W 24–15 | 6–5 | 68,295 | ||||
| 13 | December 1 | L 6–13 | 6–6 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 | |||
| 14 | December 8 | W 21–20 | 7–6 | 46,267 | ||||
| 15 | December 15 | L 23–28 | 7–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,098 | |||
| 16 | December 22 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 14–13 | 8–7 | 68,348 | |||
| 17 | December 29 | W 24–16 | 9–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,528 | |||
Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text.
See also: 2002–03 NFL playoffs.