The Cleveland Browns are facing some potential concerns heading into the 2023 season.
The Cleveland Browns have done an admirable job this offseason trying to get their team up to par with the rest of the league, whether or not they’ve done that will be revealed this season. The key issues that the team has tried to address include but aren’t limited to, the defensive line, the safeties, and the wide receiver position.
The Browns have nearly exhausted all of their finances trying to shore up these positions, and have made it beyond necessary to keep an eye out for key players in the NFL Draft that may be able to help them, as well as in the rookie free agent market following the draft.
As long as they make a few strong picks to bolster several key positions, they should be going into the season in decent shape. That said, just because they’ve addressed areas of concern, that doesn’t mean the team isn’t looking at any other potential issues.
The team is in a bizarre place, where they’re both very young in key places and very old in others. And with football being such a simpatico sport, where all 11 players have to execute their jobs perfectly to achieve success, one group or one player not doing so will drag them down.
The Browns don’t have any other obvious positions of need beyond what was previously mentioned, but there are concerns that the team may develop more issues during the season. This isn’t uncommon and routinely happens. It’s why teams are constantly needing to draft or sign new players, so they can fix the holes that develop over time. These are the Browns’ potential issues that I’d keep an eye on over the season.
A declining offensive line
The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line has been among the best in the league for several years. The key reason is Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who has a remarkable ability to get the most out of the guys he has. Two key examples of this include Wyatt Teller and Ethan Pocic. Teller went from a hanger-on in Buffalo to an All-Pro caliber guard in Cleveland. Pocic, to his credit, had his best year as a pro in Cleveland’s offense. This after struggling in Seattle for several years.
The issue about the line is that they’re one bad break away from everything unraveling. Future Hall of Famer Joel Bitonio will be 32 this season. After a decade in the league, he’s bound to start regressing eventually. Teller, his guard-mate, is not a great pass-blocker usually and is often among the Browns’ most penalized offensive linemen. Pocic has just one year of quality to his name, and the Browns are banking on him to stick around for the foreseeable future. He may be a one-year wonder.
Then you have Jack Conklin and his recent string of injuries, which may have sapped some of his abilities, and could potentially become a long-term issue for him. Then there’s Jedrick Wills, a young tackle, who’s been healthy his whole career, but also the biggest question mark each and every season he’s played with the Browns.
Coupled with a lack of depth and an injury or two could sink the whole line.
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.
Infighting in the locker room and front office
The Cleveland Browns locker room issues have been quietly discussed over the recent years, but they’re never a huge sticking point. That’s something that could easily change in the coming weeks and months. You never know how new pieces will react to the team, and while players will often say one thing publically, behind closed doors it can be quite a different story.
The team has some controversial players on their roster and some may rub other guys the wrong way. Deshaun Watson’s disgusting issues have long been talked about. Perrion Winfrey has had his fair share of behavioral issues already, and he’s only been in the league for a year. Then you have new wide receiver Elijah Moore, someone who ran himself out of New York due to his attitude and ego.
The team has had some issues in the last two years, with Jadevon Clowney and Odell Beckham mainly, so it’s clear that this is a roster that seems to invite drama and controversy, so it’s very possible the team falls in on itself if it starts to struggle. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, that’s what happened in each of the last two years.
This is due to poor leadership at times with the coaches and front office (and ownership), so as long as those pieces are in place, it’s very likely we’ll keep seeing in-fighting.