NFL: Projecting final records for all 32 teams
By Brad Rowland
Cleveland Browns
Brian Hoyer is the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
With apologies to Johnny Manziel, he doesn’t greatly affect any win-loss projection for the Browns this season, but the loss of Josh Gordon certainly does. His absence leaves Cleveland with only one proven pass-catching option in tight end Jordan Cameron, and the pu pu platter of wide receivers (Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, etc.) doesn’t inspire belief that Cleveland can build on what was the 26th-ranked offense in the NFL last season.
Defensively, the Browns weren’t dreadful a year ago, and their secondary could be lights-out with incumbent All-Pro cornerback Joe Haden pairing with rookie Justin Gilbert on the outside. The loss of safety T.J. Ward will certainly be felt, but if they are to take any strides this season in the standings (where they finished 4-12 in 2013), it will likely be on defense.
Unless Ben Tate morphs into Adrian Peterson (sorry, Ben), the Browns offense is limited, and so is their upside.
The Pick: 6-10