Behavioral Economics May Make Champs of the Cleveland Browns

Following the advice of an academic paper, the team improved from 0-16 in 2017 to 7-8-1 last year.

Jon Hartley

Feb. 1, 2019 5:35 p.m. ET

All eyes are on the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots, but the Cleveland Browns had an impressive season too. Although they didn’t make the playoffs, they did go 7-8-1 in 2018 after finishing 0-16 a year earlier. It’s one of the biggest single-season improvements in National Football League history, and the Browns owe it in large part to behavioral economics.

The turnaround was orchestrated by a small team of analytics wonks in the front office, led by chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, who was Billy Beane’s...