Browns Skill Positions Rightfully Slammed in New Ranking

ESPN slams the Cleveland Browns' skill positions and rightfully so.
Cleveland Browns Mandatory Minicamp
Cleveland Browns Mandatory Minicamp | Jason Miller/GettyImages

There was once upon a time when the Cleveland Browns had two top-20 wide receivers, a top-15 tight end, the best running back, and one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the league. That time is gone. Long gone. The likes of Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Nick Chubb, and Baker Mayfield running around like maniacs are long gone.

For some of them, their departure is a positive thing; for others, not so much. The Browns were once ranked among the best offenses in the league, thanks in part to their skill personnel. Quarterbacks notwithstanding, but now that's not the case. Even when most of those names had moved on, you still had Njoku, Amari Cooper, and Chubb.

Now, just Njoku remains. While he's a former Pro Bowler, it's fair to say he never lived up to the lofty hype that he had coming to the team in 2017. He's been good, but never truly great. He's also now, probably, the best all-around skill position player the team has. For better or worse. It's part of the reason why ESPN has ranked the Browns' skill position group as the 29th best in the league.

Browns Have One of the Worst Offensive Talent in the NFL

The article highlights the void of talent that the Browns have at every position. The receivers are really just made up of Jerry Jeudy, who was a fine first option last season, but he's never proven to be a consistently good player before 2024. After him, it's quite literally anyone's guess as to who will start for the team. Cedric Tillman seems like the next likely option, but the Browns have been so bad at drafting and developing receiver talent under GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski that it's also possible to see Tillman get axed during training camp.

We saw something similiar happen to David Bell not long after he was drafted.

The tight end position is shallow past Njoku. He's not an elite tight end, PFF has him only 15th best in the league, but he's talented enough to make some defenses hurt. He's clearly the best option the team has, and his position isn't in doubt. Just who plays next to him is going to be a storyline to watch play out.

The Browns' running backs have the most questions, but also the most potential. Jerome Ford has shown to be a solid option. Is he a starter? Hard to say, but he could be a really good backup. The Browns seemingly knew this and drafted two different running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. Second-rounder Quinshon Judkins has the best shot to unseat Ford as starter, but some are very high on fourth-rounder Dylan Sampson.

None of them are Nick Chubb in their prime, that we know of, but they all may do very well if given a show.

Still, looking at this team, it's easy to see how ESPN had the Browns ranked so low. Why anyone thinks this Browns' offense is destined for anything other than a tough season is unknown. This team looks like it'll struggle. If it doesn't, fantastic, then that means someone really stood up and made plays. Someone we didn't expect.

That would be a wonderful thing. It's just hard to say for sure that this talent, most of it being untested, can really make the noise needed to win a lot of games.

Though we hope we're wrong.

More Cleveland Browns news and rumors: