It’s a do-or-die season for these five members of the Cleveland Browns.
It’s no secret to fans of the Cleveland Browns who’ve watched losing season after losing season. The 2020 campaign is the biggest season for the franchise since its rebirth in 1999.
That’s especially true after the team fell on its face a season ago, where expectations were so high that the Browns were picked by some to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
No need to re-head the cold pizza on that one, we know our team stunk and it resulted it then picking 10th in the NFL Draft.
So, here we are again, with a new general manager and a new head coach. What’s changed? The big thing is that the Browns didn’t start breaking off parts as they’ve done in previous regime changes.
The organization kept star players when it could’ve gone into another rebuild. Instead, the organization correctly saw that the roster is talented and young, which goes along in a winning football team. If the quarterback can get right, there’s really no telling what the Browns are capable of doing in 2020.
As usual with the Browns, the caveat of “IF” hangs over the city like the gray clouds that pollute the skyline for sixth months of the year.
But enough of the gloom and done. It’s a do-or-die season for the Browns, and especially these five players as the team seeks to end it’s 17-season playoff drought.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield enters a critical third year of his career in 2020 and there seems to be no in-between regarding his future.
He’s either going to become the quarterback we’d all thought he’d be in 2018, or he’ll continue on as the player who threw interceptions at an alarming rate under the watch of Freddie Kitchens.
Fans and media alike are counting on the hiring of Kevin Stefanski to resurrect Mayfield’s career, and based off what the first-year head coach did while on staff coaching Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins, the former No. 1 pick should thrive.
If he doesn’t, then the Browns are in trouble, as Cleveland probably won’t pick up Mayfield’s fifth-year option next summer. It truly is a doomsday scenario, but if the Browns go 6-10 again, the truth is the organization will probably be scouting quarterbacks again in 2021 NFL Draft.
I’m in the camp that believes Mayfield will make us forget about what a disaster 2019 really was. Kitchens offense seemed designed for Mayfield to pull a rabbit out of his hat on every play, but I think we’ve learned that’s not his game.
Stefanski should play to his strengths, meaning getting Baker on the move while getting the ball out quickly. NFL Films producer Greg Cosell recently noted how Mayfield excelled at that later point coming out of college.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark a season ago, but didn’t do so until the final game of the season. For as much as Kitchens tried to force the ball to the wideout, you’d think he’d have have hit the mark a lot earlier.
To bottom line it, Beckham had 1,035 yards and four touchdowns (as many as Ricky Seals-Jones). Obviously, not the output you want from your supposed elite receiver. That statement of course, begs the question: Is Beckham still elite?
It’s been a long time since Beckham made the one handed grab on Monday Night Football and three years since he’s recorded double-digit touchdown numbers. He battled injury in 2017 which limited him to four games, but since then, there was last year’s stats, and then 1,052 yards and six scores in his final year with the Giants.
We all expect Stefanski to help Mayfield, and in doing so, that should benefit OBJ. That doesn’t mean we should look for Beckham to set receiving records because Mayfield will probably throw a lot of targets to his tight ends. That said, as a supposed No. 1 wideout, Beckham should see his fair share of oppe the Brownsortunities.
He carries certain expectations into the season because he’s OBJ, but perhaps fans should look for two things when watching him in 2020: Does he make plays, and does he score? The two go hand-in-hand. Aside from a couple plays against the Jets, and a spectacular catch against the Bengals in the season finale, I just don’t recall Beckham making a great impact.
If he fails to do so in 2020, then the rumors will probably become reality, and he’ll be shipped away. But if he does remind us of the player he used to be, I believe owner Jimmy Haslam will be happy to keep his star power on the roster.
David Njoku
It’s a surprise to some fourth-year tight end David Njoku is still on the team as the 2017 late first-round draft pick has yet to break out.
With the signing of Austin Hooper in free agency and then the selection of Hunter Bryant in the draft, Njoku looked like he’d be headed out of town.
Rather than settling in elsewhere, Njoku seems to be one of the players who’ve gotten a new life with Andrew Berry being hired to oversee the roster. Njoku was drafted when Berry was an underling of then GM Sashi Brown.
It’ll be worth watching how Njoku performs in 2020 as Mayfield is expected to lean heavily on the tight end position. Will he make more blunders than plays? The answer to that may determine whether he gets a second contract from the Browns.
You’ve got to figure it will take something special for Njoku to get that second pact, considering the amount of money they poured into the position with the signing of Hooper. In two years, Bryant may be ready to take more reps and that could make Njoku expendable possibly via a trade before he hits free agency.
Hopefully, it starts to click for the former Hurricane, as it would be a great benefit to the Browns and Mayfield for him to play out of his mind.
Olivier Vernon
Olivier Vernon goes into 2020 not playing “Do-or-die” as a Brown, rather, he’s playing for his career.
Can he earn a nice contract piggy-backing off a stellar 2020 playing opposite of Myles Garrett. If he does, he’ll likely earn a nice offer from somewhere. If he can’t, well, it’ll probably mark the beginning of the end of his career.
And really, it all comes down to health. If Vernon an play, he’ll likely produce. PFF went as far to call Vernon the most underrated player on the Browns roster, noting that he has an 86.3 overall grade since signing that massive contract with the Giants back in 2016.
The analytics driven website argued he can still defend the run and get after the quarterback at a high level “when healthy.”
Entering the offseason, Vernon seemed like the most logical cut, yet he’s survived and considering there’s no viable replacement on the roster, he projects as the day one starter.
Hopefully, he’s the beast we all thought he could be in his second year with Cleveland, and he’ll open things up for Myles Garrett on the other side. If he can’t stay healthy, Vernon will likely sign a prove-it deal elsewhere, and when you start doing that, who knows how much longer you have left.
Greedy Williams
How can a second-year player be in a do-or-die situation in year two? Greedy Williams posted a mark of 54.6 on Pro Football Focus a season ago. Anything between 0-59 is considered “replaceable” by the analytically oriented website. He failed to pick off a pass and allowed 31 receptions, which was tied for 81st in the NFL.
If Williams doesn’t can’t live up to the hype, then the Browns may have no choice but to look at corner in the 2021 draft. That doesn’t mean Williams will be cast aside, but his odds on becoming the second lock-down corner we all thought he could be will be fading fast.
The strategy dictated by Paul DePodesta has been clear as day in terms of what the Browns prioritize on defense. The emphasis is on getting to the quarterback and then building up the secondary.
When looking at the draft, you could argue the secondary has been more valued, as Denzel Ward was drafted ahead of Bradley Chubb, while Williams was considered a steal in the second round during the 2018 draft.
It’s still early in his career but it may be something that pops up on the radar as the season progresses. If Williams balls out, great, we can forget about the position. If not, it’ll be hard to pass up an upgrade next spring.