The Cleveland Browns finished the 2020 NFL Draft and have received general high marks from the graders around the game.
That said, there’s still plenty to ponder about the 2020 season. Here’s the biggest questions surrounding the Browns.
1. Who starts at LB?
The Browns picked up LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips with their second, third-round pick. Known as a tackling machine, it’s fair to wonder if this National Champ will start in 2020.
Opportunity will certainly be available, as the Browns question surround the linebacking corps.
Sione Takitaki should see more snaps, but even then, he’s still an unproven talent.
Mack Wilson remains the safest best, but even the 2020 fifth-round pick endured his fair share of growing pains as a rookie. Still, Wilson showed promise, and the belief is he’ll be better in year two.
Kevin Stefanski has an insurance card he can play in recent signee B.J. Goodson. The veteran signed with the Browns after playing in 15 games and accumulating 37 tackles for the Packers a season ago.
Best guess: Phillips can start if he impresses in training camp, as Wilson did last summer. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods can always pull him off the field on passing downs.
2. How will Baker perform?
Baker Mayfield is THE big question surrounding the Browns in 2021. If he’s completing fewer than 60 percent of his throws and getting picked off 20 times, Cleveland might as well go in the tank and enter the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.
Alas, that’s not expected to happen with Kevin Stefanski taking over as head coach.
Mayfield has talent. He’s a former Heisman Trophy winner who set the rookie record for touchdown passes. The Freddie Kitchens experiment was a debacle and the belief is Stefanski can help him take a big step forward in year three.
That’s why, if Mayfield doesn’t play better, Cleveland will have to seriously think about a taking a quarterback come 2021. If he’s not going to turn things around with Stefanski, then what?
Best guess: Mayfield rights the ship in 2020, which only goes to show what a waste of a year the 2019 campaign was. Mayfield entered 2020 in a position the “underdog” wasn’t accustomed to being in. Remember, this is the guy with the massive chip on his shoulder, who seems to excel at overcoming doubters.
Well, there’s more doubts than ever.
3. Is the line good enough?
The Browns dramatically changed the look of their offensive line by adding Jack Conklin to right tackle and Jedrick Wills at left tackle.
The decision to re-work Chris Hubbard‘s deal was an indication of how the depth has improved with the Browns’ new additions because now, the Browns have an experience right tackle ready to come off the bench.
There may be concern over Wyatt Teller at right guard, but I thought he steadied the position by the end of the 2019 season. Is he the best right guard in the league? No, but he’s fine.
Answer: Yes, there’s no room for excuses. No line fields five All-Pros. Joel Bitonio and Conklin are contenders to make the Pro Bowl. J.C. Tretter is very, very good at his job. Wills was the 10th pick in the draft.
The players on the line can execute Stefanski’s zone blocking scheme. If the line is a failure in 2021, it’ll mark the biggest unexpected disaster of the season.
4. Who gets extended next?
Finding a first-round draft pick who signed a second-contract with Cleveland is about as rare as finding a Zebra drinking out the Cuyahoga River.
That changes with Myles Garrett, who should sign a massive contract with the Browns in near future.
The kind of money doled out to Garrett will astonish Browns fans, as the Browns haven’t really had a player of his caliber since returning to the league in 1999. The best player the Browns have had since then was Joe Thomas, and the future Hall of Famer was probably underpaid. For about three years, Thomas was making $10.5 million.
Garrett will shatter the extension signed by Thomas, if recent trends suggest anything. The Cowboys extended DeMarcus Lawrence, giving the pass rusher a five-year, $105 million deal with $65 million guaranteed.
Other men who excel at getting to the quarterback earned the following: Donald signed a six-year contract extension worth $135 million ($40 million signing bonus, $87 million guaranteed)
Flowers got five years and $90 million from Detroit with $56 million guaranteed.
Some may wonder whether Garrett swinging a helmet at Mason Rudolph will impact his value? The answer to that is, no.
5. Long-term deal coming for Njoku?
The Browns picked up the fifth-year option on David Njoku, meaning the former first-round pick will be here until at least the 2021 campaign. He’ll earn $6.4 million in the final year of his deal.
The will they/won’t they pick up the option as a big question the Browns answered by filing the paperwork on Njoku, but what about the future? Is he here long-term.
Best guess: That’s up to Njoku, who needs to stay healthy and produce. Kevin Stefanski will make good use of the tight end spot and he’ll have plenty of options now in 2020. The Browns have free-agent signee Austin Hooper, a player whom Pro Football Focus graded as one of the best tight ends in football a season ago.
Plus, there’s FAU’s Harrison Bryant. Buckeye fans will remember the tight end torching Ohio State. He’s 6-foot-5. You can just envision Mayfield looking for his number in the red zone.
The truth is, tight end is brutal position to play in the NFL. If you play fantasy football, you know this, as your probably constantly scouring the waver wire.
As for Njoku, it’s important that he’s only going to be 24 in July. He came into the league very raw and his athleticism has never been in question. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him produce some memorable moments in 2020, he just needs to stay out of the trainer’s room.