3 not-so-obvious concerns that the Cleveland Browns could deal with in 2023
By Chad Porto
The offense not producing as it should
The Cleveland Browns’ offense was fine last year with Jacoby Brissett under center, but they were limited. Despite some nice occasional throws deep, the Browns really didn’t air things out that often. This made the team a bit one-dimensional at times, and with an over-reliance on the ground game, it made the Browns easy to game-plan for. While the likes of Amari Cooper broke 1,000 yards, he never once really took over a game like many thought he could.
That may be on Brissett, Deshaun Watson, or even Cooper, but regardless of the why, it was a reality that must be addressed in 2023. The Browns are doing that this off-season. They’ve added a few new receivers and they intend on throwing it far more often in 2023 than they have in any of the three prior seasons with Kevin Stefanski as head coach.
This means less protection for Nick Chubb, probably no true fullback, and a lot of spread formation-type stuff. If the Browns aren’t able to make this offense go, and there is a potential for that happening, then the Browns can’t just revert back to how they played in 2022. The entire book is being rewritten essentially, so if the offense stalls out, this team will be screwed.