10 moves Browns must make to win the Super Bowl next season
Football in January was foreign to Browns fans, but dang, it’s something we could all get used to.
Fortunately, it looks like the Browns are finally built to contend in the foreseeable future.
Ownership has finally figured it out at the top, hiring Andrew Berry as GM and pairing him with coach Kevin Stefanski. There’s no more rumors of “internal discord” leaking out of Berea. It’s cliche, but appears to be true at this point: Both men are on the same page and saw their stocks rise in 2020.
Additionally, credit should be given to Browns chief strategy officer, Paul DePodesta. DePo is the guy who wanted Stefanski all along, and it turns out he was right. He also favored Sean McDermott over Hue Jackson back in 2016.
It turns out he was correct on that one, too.
Speaking of McDermott, the Buffalo coach has been at it for five seasons with the Bills and Buffalo is finally reaping the rewards. Quarterback Josh Allen is running the same system he ran as a rookie.
Conversely, Baker Mayfield won’t have to learn a new offense for the first time in his pro career. Plus, with COVID vaccinations rolling out, Mayfield will hopefully be able to hold a true offseason with his team.
There’s plenty of excitement to go around and fans are hungry for more. Here’s 10 moves the Browns should make to ensure Cleveland sits atop the AFC North in 2021 and then proceeds to win its first Super Bowl in franchise history.
1. Extend Baker
The expectation entering the season was that Baker Mayfield would find his groove playing in Kevin Stefanski’s play-action heavy, zone blocking system. Things started off slow, with pundits and fans labeling Mayfield as a game manager.
However, throughout the season, Mayfield proved to much more than that. He and Stefanski clearly built trust–especially after the bye–and the process paid dividends.
The biggest disappointment in the Chiefs game was that Mayfield didn’t get the ball back with a minute to play. That’s what we all wanted to see, because that’s when franchise quarterbacks really earn their checks. Could he have done it? We’ve have to wait and see.
While we’re still waiting for that, Mayfield did more than enough to get the extension. Add it all up, and Mayfield posted a 12-6 mark with 30 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He completed 62.9 percent of his passes and led the Browns to their first playoff win since the 1994 season.
The Browns are eligible to extend Mayfield in March, when the new league year commences. He’s under contract for 2021 and the Browns cary an option for 2023.
The expectation was that the front office would pick up the option in order to buy time on a decision regarding Mayfield’s future.
We’ve seen the carousel that have come through town since 1999. There’s no need to keep looking. Plus, the organization is stronger–and that counts for a lot. Baker doesn’t have to be the franchise savior because based off what we saw this year, his front office and coaching staff will put him in the best position to win.
Lock him down now, instead of next offseason, and the Browns will probably save some cash in the long run, much how the extension Myles Garrett signed already looks like a bargain.
2. Draft Zaven Collins
The thing about winning? You pick late in the draft. The Browns will be picking 26th come draft day, which means you’ll have to squeeze in a nap in during the day because you’ll be staying up late to watch Cleveland make their selection.
When Andrew Berry phones the pick in, he should tell Roger Goodell that Cleveland will draft Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins.
Tulsa? I know. If he’s taken in the first round, he’ll be only the second first-round pick Tulsa’s produced in the common draft era.
However, the Browns invested heavily on the offensive side of the ball last offseason, but this spring should be all about building the defense.
Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki will return in 2021, but linebacker is clearly an issue, which is why Collins is the pick. The Browns also like rookie Jacob Phillips, who saw his playing time increase in the second half of the season.
1. The Browns need guys who can get to the quarterback and Collins showed an ability to get to that in college.
He was an excellent blitzer, accumulating16 pressures on 51 rushes, according to Pro Football Focus.
2. He can also drop into coverage, which is huge, because the Browns currently don’t have a linebacker who can do both things well. Collins posted a coverage grade of 93.7, which is considered excellent. Collins totaled four interceptions, three incompletions and nine passing stops when Tulsa had him drop into the defensive backfield.
The question now becomes will the Browns commit a first-round pick to a linebacker? They ignored the position until they took Jacob Phillips in the later rounds when they really could’ve used someone earlier.
Perhaps there wasn’t a player available Berry deemed worthy of taking. Time will tell, but LB is the biggest position of need.
3. New starting DE
Remember the name Curtis Weaver? He was a guy tied heavily to the Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft. He ended up being selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round.
He was a sack machine at Boise State in 2019, tallying 13.5 in his final season in the Mountain West Conference. Ahead of the draft, several pundits tied him to the Browns. Cleveland didn’t draft him, but picked him up after he suffered a season ending injury and was waived by Miami. He’ll be healthy and Cleveland will give him a shot. Essentially the Browns are bringing in a bonus draft pick.
I also expect the Browns to address the position through the draft. Perhaps it’s in the first round. If not then, then maybe the second. Either way, Cleveland will field a new defensive end opposite of Myles Garrett. Olivier Vernon was going to be a free agent, and then ruptured his ACL in the final month of season. Until the injury, I thought extending Vernon with a lower cap number was something that should’ve been seriously considered.
But with the injury, Cleveland needs to find a new starter. There’s some mock drafters who believe Cleveland could take one in the first round. Someone like Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari could be in play, but he’s probably stronger against the run, than getting after quarterbacks right now. That’s not a bad thing, but the Browns need a true complement to Garrett.
Additionally, the Browns should bring back Adrian Clayborn back next season. He’s due $3 million. He played well against the Chiefs and the backup role suits him well.
4. Re-vamping the interior
The Browns are going to look for interior help. Larry Ogunjobi is a free agent and I can’t see the Browns investing major money into the UNC Charlotte product, especially with everybody else the team has to pay.
Ogunjobi flashed an ability to get to the quarterback as rookie, but never quite replicated that ability the past few years.
Unless they bring him back on a team friendly deal, the Browns should be looking for a defensive tackle, which will probably come at some point of the draft.
Ogunjobi was a fourth-round pick who quickly found playing time. To bottom line it, it’s possible to find his replacement in the draft. Plus, the Browns drafted Jordan Elliott in 2020. He had some nice moments but didn’t log enough snaps to really paint a consistent picture.
It’s also worth noting Andrew Billings will likely return in 2021. Billings opted out of the season because of COVID, but when he signed, the contract was lauded by Browns media members.
Sheldon Richardson also has one year left on his deal, but if I’m the Browns, I pay him the $11 million to keep him around. No need to create more holes. Plus, he’s still an effective player.
5. Get the secondary right
There was plenty of consternation regarding the secondary, and the big things for the Browns to worry about in 2021 is staying healthy.
It was surprising to see PFF mock mock TCU safety Trevon Moehrig to Cleveland in the first round, because the Browns already invested in the position by drafting Grant Delpit in the second round a season ago.
Delpit got hurt in training camp and missed the entire season, but is expected to take over the free safety position next season. Plus, Ronnie Harrison will start at strong safety, so on paper, the Browns look strong.
At corner, the Browns will get back Greedy Williams, who missed the season after suffering a bizarre shoulder injury during a tackling drill on the first day of training camp. With uncertainty surrounding Williams healthy, it’s pretty likely the Browns will take a corner as an insurance policy.
Denzel Ward also missed four games because of injury, as the former No. 4 overall pick has never played a full season. He’s missed eight games the last two years due to injuries/concussions/COVID list.
6. Re-sign Higgins
Talk about a career resurgence. Higgins was persona non-grata in his free-agent year under Freddie Kitchens. His career looked to be trending quickly the wrong the way, until the Browns brought him back for 2021 for around $900,000.
Talk about getting bang for your buck. Higgins had 599 yards and four touchdowns on the season–not bad considering he was behind OBJ and Jarvis Landry on the depth chart during Training Camp.
Higgins doesn’t have the athletic ability as Odell Beckham Jr., but he’s a very good wideout and Baker Mayfield likes him. Plus, the two have chemistry that dates back to Mayfield’s rookie season.
It’s for this reason the Browns need to extend Higgins, as the Colorado State product. He shouldn’t be very expensive and there’s that unexplainable rapport he has with Mayfield.
Yes, Higgins had the big fumble against the Chiefs, but overall, he actually had a great game with five catches for 83 yards.
7. Get Chubb and Hunt on field together
As vaccines roll out, ideally, Kevin Stefanski will have a true offseason to work with his team with mini camps and OTAs, in addition to an actual preseason.
With this in mind, it’s imperative Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are on the field together, because when it happens, well, Kendall Lamm becomes a touchdown threat.
The potential of having Chubb and Hunt on the field together could be a weapon that sets the league on fire. Stefanski’s was asked about it earlier in the season, and the general gist of his answer was that there wasn’t enough time to implement it due to the strange offseason.
Chubb enters the final year of his contract in 2021, and re-signing him should be a top priority. I know, Hunt was extended and running backs can be found, but Chubb is at an elite level when it comes to ripping off big runs. He’s also the most elusive back in the league.
Baker may not be Patrick Mahomes, but perhaps the improved play of Mayfield, with Hunt and Chubb on the field together, causing havoc, can be what lifts the Browns over the Chiefs.
8. Don’t trade David Njoku
Honestly, the 2020 season was impressive for David Njoku. The opportunities were limited because he was relegated to the third tight end spot, but when Baker went his direction, Njoku answered the bell.
That was especially true against the Chiefs in the playoffs. He had four catches for 59 yards, which breaks down to 14.8 yards per catch. For the season, he averaged 11.2 yards per catch on just 19 receptions with two touchdowns.
The Browns picked up the fifth-year option on Njoku, so he’ll be a Brown unless Cleveland trades him. Before the start of the season, Njoku was seeking a swap after Cleveland signed Austin Hooper and drafted Harrison Bryant.
Perhaps Njoko is finally ready to capitalize on the potential Sashi Brown saw in him during the 2017 draft. I’m not going to call him the next Travis Kelce, but Njoku has the potential to be a matchup nightmare for defenses.
Austin Hooper had a good first season in Cleveland with 46 catches for 435 yards and four scores. Rookie Harrison Bryant kind of tailed off haver his two TD performance against the Bengals.
9. One-year deals
Andrew Berry drew up the blueprint last offseason, and I think we’re going to see the GM look to sign players to one-year contracts in 2021.
Berry did it last year, signing Kevin Johnson, Andrew Senedjo, B.J. Goodson, Malcom Smith and Karl Joseph. All three played a lot of snaps. Now, we all wish Sendejo wouldn’t have played as much as he did, but it was a result of Grant Delpit getting hurt.
The point is the Browns will seek to dramatically improve the defense through the draft, and he’ll do that by taking a linebacker, corner and defensive end.
But as far as filling in the depth chart goes, look for Berry to score some one-year deals.
I could see Berry trying to re-sign Johnson, or maybe going after Jets’ free-agent slot corner Brian Poole. Perhaps Joe Woods re-unites with San Fran corner Jason Verrett.
At safety, Malik Hooker would look good on a one-year deal. He’s not the player he used to be, but definitely an upgrade over Sendejo.
10. Don’t mess with WR
It’s already started, with the Browns Twitterati trying to play cap genius by suggesting there’s no way the team will carry the contracts of both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. in 2021.
Landry is due $13.3 million next season, while OBJ will earn around $15 million.
Beckham is injured and has in injury guarantee, so he’ll get paid, which leaves Landry as the option for the chopping block.
Getting rid of him on the heels of the Browns’ best season in 25 years would be detrimental. Cleveland has the money. They can afford him for at least one more season. Plus, it was just one year ago where owner Jimmy Haslam talked about Beckham and Landry as being part of the young core of the team.
Additionally, the Browns can’t afford to cut Landry lose with Beckham out until late October/early November.
Speaking of Beckham–in his absence, Baker Theory was tested, and proved a success. The Browns won without the wideout as Mayfield played the best football of his pro career, often distributing the ball to seven receivers a game.
Mayfield was never accused of forcing the ball to anyone with OBJ missing. Will that continue to be the case once Beckham comes back to the huddle? He’s a big presence that’s hard to ignore, so yeah, it should be a concern.
That said, Beckham offers the Browns the threat of going deep. Assuming he comes back and still has burner speed, Cleveland needs a deep threat.
Donovan Peoples-Jones flashed with his ability to go long, but Cleveland wasn’t able to execute that look enough. DPJ has the speed and was just a rookie, so perhaps he comes back in 2021 ready to take his game up a notch.
OBJ has long wanted to be a part of a winner. He’s on a winner now. Let’s see if his contributions will lift the Browns up, rather than sink them.