Here’s a look at the first half of the season for the Cleveland Browns (0-9) and a preview of what to expect in the second half:

Grade D-: There are zero wins, right? The only reason this is not an F is that this was not difficult to see coming -- even back in April. This Browns team is one with a defense giving up 30 points per game, with few big-time impact players and with quarterback questions. Add injuries to that pile and it turns into a winless mess, which is what the Browns have wrought. The team can point to the slow build it is undergoing and say this is the first step, but by any definition a winless first half is pretty miserable.

Midseason MVP: Left tackle Joe Thomas. Thomas continues to be the ultimate professional in tough circumstances. He plays every down, plays it well and refuses to miss a down. Thomas' attitude remains upbeat to the point that he has made it clear he does not even want to be traded from a winless team. At this point of his career, he could make that request and nobody would blame him. His leadership and approach should rub off on younger players, and his acceptance of Hue Jackson's program has helped hold the team together. Cody Kessler has done a lot to stabilize the quarterback position; Thomas has done a lot to help the team be a team -- while he still plays at a very high level.

Best moment: Terrelle Pryor's 101-yard receiving game against the Jets made him a part of NFL history. Pryor is one of two players to have 500 yards receiving, rushing and passing in his career. Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart is the other. Pryor started his career as a quarterback, switched to receiver a year ago and has made himself into a capable receiver. There is room to grow, but few players are able to go get the ball the way Pryor does.

Worst moment: It's unfair to single him out, but when Cody Parkey missed a 46-yard field goal on the final play of regulation in Miami in Week 3, it meant that the Browns' best chance to get a win had gone awry. Had that kick gone through, the Browns would have avoided the embarrassment of a winless first half. It might not have changed the entire narrative, but having one win means a lot more than having none. Parkey's situation summed up the first half. He was on the team because Patrick Murray hurt his knee in practice on Friday. Parkey signed on Saturday, flew with the team and tried his first field goal with this new team in the game. Nobody blamed him given the circumstances, but the moment was more than painful.

Player to watch: Kessler figures to get a lot of playing time in the second half. The Browns need to know what he can and can't do as they head to the draft, where they surely will have one of the top two or three picks, and most likely the first. Kessler has done everything anyone could ask of him, except win. He has made the most of his talent. The question the Browns need to ask is if his talent is enough to win regularly.

Second-half outlook: Not a lot better than the first half. There is no obvious winnable game on the schedule, and though the Browns have first-round pick Corey Coleman back at receiver, they still lack elite talent. The Browns are in rebuild mode, which leads to tough seasons when the rebuild begins. But the team compounded the challenge by relying on two injury-prone players at quarterback and not having a clear heir apparent ready to take over. The narrative of this entire season would change if the Browns had a Carson Wentz playing. Instead they started a 37-year-old quarterback in the final game of the first half. As long as the most important position on the field is muddled, the team will be muddled.