Will The Browns Be Good This Year?

Now that we’ve all had time to digest the Odell Beckham trade, and subsequently the first week or so of free agency, everyone is talking about the Browns. Wait what?

For the last 20 years whenever the Browns are brought up it’s because they’ve screwed up in some way. Whether it be their literal laundry list of mediocre to downright terrible quarterbacks that rotate through the organization, consistently whiffing on their annual top-5 draft pick, or not immediately firing a coach after going 1-15 then 0-16, to the entire country the Browns are synonymous with royally screwing over their fanbase with bad decision after bad decision.

When they selected Baker Mayfield with the first pick last year a lot of people thought they out-Brownsed themselves; selecting a guy ahead of Sam Darnold and Josh Allen who played in a conference where if you don’t score 50 points a game you should be ashamed. But he gave the fanbase hope towards the end of last year, showing how good he could be and bringing some swagger to Cleveland.

Then this offseason they went and signed Kareem Hunt who, no matter what you think about him personally, is an outstanding running back. He’s going to miss the first 8 games of the season stemming from his recent suspension, but Nick Chubb is an up and coming running back that showed promise in his rookie year last year. They then traded for Olivier Vernon who, when he wants to play, is still a top-10 edge rusher in the NFL. Pairing him with Myles Garret will allow either of them to command double teams, freeing up the other to get to the passer. And the coup-de-gras was the trade for Odell. Pairing him with Landry, the former teammates and best friends at LSU, gives Baker the best receiver tandem in the NFL and a good tight end with David Njoku and a solid offensive line.

So, while there are still holes in their secondary and at linebacker, their defense is solid and their offense, on paper, is stacked. The Browns SHOULD be one of the best teams in the AFC this year. But will they?

With a lot of talent, a polarizing quarterback, and an entire country rooting for you to succeed, the pressure will be immense and the stakes are high. They are expected to win their division for the first time in forever, and anything short of that will be considered a failure. Will first time head coach Freddie Kitchens be able to keep his team focused and not let the bright lights get to the team?

I think they will and it’s all because of Baker. He doesn’t crumble when the stakes are highest-he thrives. He showed last year what he can do when he has a competent head coach and play-caller, and couple that with the addition of a top 5 receiver and a defense that should be a top 15 defense, the Browns will win their division this year and captivate the entire country. And we’ll all be rooting for them.