One dark horse NFL team for every division

AFC North: Cleveland Browns

How far off are the Browns, really?

This is a team with a potentially excellent defense, a fantastic offensive line and a good backfield. Where it all falls apart is when we start looking at the quarterback and the wide receivers. Those are no small problems, to be sure, but this is a team which had similar issues last season and went on quite the little run.

This year they swapped out one Brian Hoyer for equally uninspiring Josh McCown, but the offensive line is healthy and they added a few receivers in the form of Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe.

Bowe has rarely lived up to expectations, but is well-versed in how to catch a badly thrown ball considering who he had to work with before Alex Smith rolled into Kansas City. Hartline was a solid performer in Miami, and should be a decent weapon for McCown.

That may be enough to get this team over the hump, offensively, if the offensive line is healthy and the defense improves in defending the run.

Overall the defense should be pretty strong, and if first round pick Danny Shelton can step in right away, that will go a long way towards helping.

Still, this is a team which is close—close enough to where we’d look at it really differently if they had drafted Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans in 2014 over Justin Gilbert or Teddy Bridgewater over Johnny Manziel. Or heck, if Manziel had panned out already.

It’s just two pieces away, but they were able to make some noise last season without those two pieces, and in terms of receivers, actually managed to upgrade.

The problem with all this is that the schedule is tougher than last season’s and it’s hard to put any faith in Josh McCown. But the Browns through together some magic last season. Maybe they can do it again this year.

Next: AFC South: Houston Texans