No one is sleeping on the Cleveland Browns, they have too much to prove

The Cleveland Browns are not coming off of a good season, so expectations should be low.

If you have a team, like the Cleveland Browns, who have come up short the last two seasons for a variety of reasons; namely poor management and bad coaching, no one should be picking you to be a Super Bowl contender. Let’s just briefly look back at 2022; bad quarterback play defined the season, Jacoby Brissett wasn’t good, he was fine and Deshaun Watson struggled. The coaching couldn’t keep up with the needs of Watson, the team was lacking significant pieces that GM Andrew Berry tried to fix in the draft, and now the Browns are down to their last year or two before Watson’s contract strangles the team’s flexibility.

Why would you think this is a team that is capable of being slept on? In four years as the Browns’ GM, Berry has not had one good draft. He’s had some hits, with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah being the most obvious, but even Greg Newsome has lost some of the shine, as Martin Emerson has quickly emerged as a better candidate to start.

Most of Berry’s big free-agent acquisitions have failed; Jadeveon Clowney, Austin Hooper, and John Johnson III come to mind. And the ones that haven’t, Troy Hill and Amari Cooper, were either traded or very well won’t be re-signed when their deal is up.

All of that is wrapped around the fact that Watson played terribly, despite preparing and practicing all year. People want to ignore the fact that he was in Berea starting in April, worked out and trained for the few weeks he wasn’t allowed at the facility, and despite being suspended still, was allowed to return to Berea to train with the team.

Watson’s failings were far more than just his time off, after all, what’s the point of practice and training if it doesn’t help prepare you to play well?

So it’s pretty obvious that the Browns have an uphill battle. It’s possible they’re ready to make that climb, predictions in sports are a foolish errand. That doesn’t mean this is a team that is being slept on, no matter how much our sister site, NFL Spin Zone wants to claim.

The Cleveland Browns are not being slept on

The Browns have way too many holes in their game, and far too many questions to answer for anyone to say they’re, today, a playoff or Super Bowl contender. If they’re 8-2 in Week 10, ok, you can claim they’re a Super Bowl contender, but today, with so many new pieces and lingering questions, you can’t say they are.

Here are just some of the questions we don’t know about;

• Is Deshaun Watson going to be back to his former self?
• Will the Browns’ new offense even work?
• Will the defensive line actually be improved with the new talent?
• Will any of the receivers that Berry drafted take the next step?
• Is the offensive line capable of being healthy?
• Can Wyatt Teller figure out how to pass block without hurting the team?
• Can anyone besides Myles Garrett get a sack?
• Can Myles Garrett play better against the run?
• Which version of Denzel Ward are we getting?
• Is Martin Emerson that good, or is Greg Newsome that bad?
• Can Kevin Stefanski actually coach a team to success when he doesn’t inherit a stacked team?
• Is Andrew Berry able to draft anyone who can turn into a Pro Bowler?

And this isn’t even all of them. The Browns are capable of being a good team. That is a concept that stands true for all teams in the NFL. It’s a parody league. You can go from 1-15 to 15-1 really fast in the NFL.

So the Browns could have a winning record, they could have a losing record. It’s impossible to say, but what is not impossible to say, is that a team with as much drama, turmoil, poor management, talent turnover, and failed ideas, is being slept on.

The Browns have to prove they can have another winning season before we talk about their potential.

• Published on 07/06/2023 at 23:55 PM
• Last updated at 07/06/2023 at 23:55 PM