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A franchise that was once the laughing stock of the NFL has become a formidable threat over the past few years. The Browns' defense carried them to a playoff game in 2023, and looks to do the same in 2024.
But will this offense, and specifically this quarterback, give enough of a lift to get them there? Let's see how my 10th-ranked team shapes up for this upcoming season.
Photo: Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
Strengths
Myles Garrett / The Entire Defensive Line
Deep Wide Receiver Room
Top-Tier Starting Secondary
Myles Garrett rightfully deserved DPOY last season. He put up a monstrous 17.17% pressure rate, while also adding 37 stops + TFLs and 4 forced fumbles. He also had the highest overall defensive and pass rush grades in the entire league at 94.0 and 94.8 a piece. He was even more impressive against true pass sets, where he put up a 25% pressure rate and a 35.1% pass rush win rate. The rest of the DL is loaded as well, with Za'Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo as their other edges, and a deep interior defender unit of Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, Mike Hall Jr, Maurice Hurst II, and Siaki Ika.
This WR group has the players and tools to be a top unit in the league. Amari Cooper has been one of the top WR1s in the league no matter where he goes, but it does get kind of shady after that. Jerry Jeudy never put it together in Denver, but he may find new success in the teams' WR2 role. Elijah Moore has shown he can be a threat before, but he's lacked production to match it. They've added some solid backups in the past three drafts in David Bell, Cedric Tillman, and Jamari Thrash. All of them should see some playing time, especially if Jeudy and Moore don't get it together.
Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, and Martin Emerson Jr is a nasty CB trio. They're some of the feistiest corners in the league, and were the main reason this was a top coverage unit in 2023. Add in a deep safety group of Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill, Ronnie Hickman Jr, and D'Anthony Bell, it's easy to see why this group was so good last season.
Weaknesses
The Predator
Cornerback Depth
Linebacker Core
Deshaun was great in 2020, there's no denying that. But that ship has sailed, and the fact he got the contract he did after serious sexual assault allegations, plus not playing an NFL game for 700 days, put a ton of pressure on his shoulders that no one could handle. He's been replaceable since he stepped back onto the field in 2022, and he'll continue to hold this team back until his contract expires. It's the worst contract in NFL history, and that's been apparent since before he came back to the field.
If any of Clevelands' top corners go down, it'll be a grind to get the same kind of production from the backups. Cameron Mitchell and Kahlef Hailassie played a combined 381 snaps in their rookie seasons, and Justin Hardee Sr hasn't played more than 70 snaps since 2018. 7th round rookie Myles Harden should challenge for a significant amount of snaps if any of the starters miss time.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been a strong player for the Browns, as he's put up 75+ defensive grades in two of his three first seasons. Outside of him, I'm not sure they have a real answer for the other starter at LB. Jordan Hicks has been solid, but he just turned 32, and I'm uncertain if he'll have the same level of play in a new system at his age. Backups Devin Bush and Tony Fields II have been below average in the playing time they've gotten over the past two seasons, and would be better off not seeing the field at all.
Key Additions
Mike Hall Jr - Interior Defensive Lineman
Jerry Jeudy - Wide Receiver
Myles Harden - Nickelback
Mike was one of "my guys" in this draft, and I could've easily seen him as a first rounder. He just turned 21, and will have a pretty clear path to starting early. He's great in both pass rush and against the run, making him a versatile option on late and early downs. He may only play 400-500 snaps in his rookie year, especially given how deep the interior defensive line group is, but he'll still dominate on those reps.
Jeudy struggled in Denver, as he had to work with four different offensive playcallers in his first four years. Coming into Cleveland, Kevin Stefanski has built a strong system over the past five seasons, which means Jeudy will be coming into an established role within the scheme. At this point, it's all on Jeudy to make the most of this opportunity - he's had flashes of greatness, and now he needs to put it all together.
I spoke on Myles Harden a bit earlier, and even though he wasn't one of my top ranked corners in this class, he could be a solid player in this secondary. He's got a good sense of when to be aggressive and when not to be, and he flows well in zone coverage. His man coverage will need to improve, as this is one of the most man-heavy defenses in the entire league.
Dark Horse
Dawand Jones - Offensive Tackle
It's not often a backup offensive lineman gets the Dark Horse tag, but that changes today. Jedrick Wills Jr is on the last year of his contract, and if the Browns wanna end Jack Conklin's contract early, the Browns can save $16+ million over the next two seasons each if they cut him with a post June-1st designation in 2025. With that, both tackles are starting training camp on the PUP list, which means Dawand will have plenty of time to show he should be a starter.
As far as his own play goes, he was impressive as a 4th round rookie in the good chunk of playing time he got last season. Despite allowing a 5.01% pressure rate, he churned out a 73.0 pass block grade - and led the team among those with over 20 pass block snaps. His somewhat moderate pressure rate allowed and pretty solid pass block grade tells me a good chunk of those pressures were due to the QB holding onto the ball too long. Those were also better marks than Jedrick, who allowed 29 pressures at nearly double the rate on 100 less pass block snaps.
Photo: Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
Record
9-7-1
There's the other tie! The Browns have a legit chance to go 5-0 to start their season, with their only real challenge being against the Jags in Week 3. They'll get some tougher challenges later on, as they'll play the Eagles, Chiefs, and Dolphins throughout their slate - and that's without mentioning how tough their conference is. They may split games with the Bengals or Ravens, but I doubt they split against both. With this record, Cleveland would just miss playoffs thanks to the tie.
Final Notes
If Deshaun can't perform how he did a few seasons back, this is gonna be a long season for the Browns. He's had one of the highest off target throw rates over the past two seasons, and the Browns have arguably played better offensively with him off the field. If he can't get back to his 2020 form, this deal will continue to get worse and worse.
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