The Cleveland Browns aren’t exactly going to be making splashes in 2017, but it’ll still be fun to follow along on their journey through the regular season.
It seems as if year in and year out, football fans love to prey on the Cleveland Browns as one of the teams that you laugh at. While this year may not be much different, we may be in for a treat when it comes to watching the Browns this season.
The AFC North is always a unique division to follow, considering the weird group of talented teams that seems to rotate every year, and the intense rivalries involved with all of the squads involved. One of the reasons it’s most fun is because of how close the top three teams are: the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. However, the one team usually always on the outside looking in is the Browns, and that didn’t change last season.
In 2016, the Browns lived up to their laughingstock title with a rough 1-15 record to show for their regular season. They obviously finished last in the AFC North, their sixth straight last-place finish in the division and eighth in the last nine seasons. However, they went into the offseason with a lot of rebuilding to do, and some obviously low expectations given the regular season they had.
For starters, the team earned the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and added a potential defensive superstar to their lineup in Myles Garrett. He has the potential to become one of the league’s most terrifying edge rusher out there, similar to a guy like J.J. Watt, Ndamukong Suh or Aaron Donald, which would be huge for the Browns and their defensive core. He should be a worthwhile investment for the team, and could prove to be a solid prize to show for the horrible season they pulled off in 2016.
Second, the team acquired Brock Osweiler from the Houston Texans, mainly as a way for the Texans to dump some cap while Cleveland gets another second-round pick. All of this, including the release of Joe Haden and the trade of Cam Erving to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round pick, speaks to the future.
The Browns utilized a second-round pick to draft DeShone Kizer, and already determined they’d throw him into the mix as the team’s starting quarterback. Out of all of the rookie quarterbacks out there, and especially ones taken far earlier in the draft, it’s odd to think that the Browns would be the first team to throw their rookie into the fire under center, but they have the offensive line to do it.
The Browns might as well experiment with what they have for a youth movement on the roster. They’re currently rebuilding, and the best way for players to mature at a quick rate is for them to get legitimate reps on a big stage.
One thing that Kizer won’t have to work with will be a talented group of receivers, as the Browns are once again without a true star amidst their wideouts. Their offense has struggled over the years to get anything going, and it’s tough to imagine Kizer gaining any momentum to start the year with some tough opponents and only Kenny Britt as a proven commodity.
Although not many will expect anything from the Browns in the 2017 campaign, it’ll surely be a fun season to watch. Guys like Kizer and Garrett could be around for a long time in the NFL, and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle themselves in a relatively close and competitive division, with some serious offensive and defensive talent spread throughout each roster.
X-Factor
The Browns seem to be solid in some aspects of their game every year and lackluster elsewhere, but the one thing that always seems to haunt them is their man under center. However, after tons of trying to find the one, maybe this can be the year they finally find their perfect quarterback.
DeShone Kizer has been solid through his first few months on an NFL roster after getting drafted in the second round. He shined in the preseason for the Browns, and won the starting job by the time the third week’s games had ended. With Joe Thomas still running things on the team’s offensive line, the protection could be there for a mobile quarterback like Kizer to make things work with both his passing and rushing.
If Kizer can get off to a hot start for the team, they may be able to improve upon their rough 2016 campaign and get something going in 2017.
Best case
The Browns are caught in a tough division heading into the regular season, and didn’t get anything going in the AFC North’s weak year of 2016. Now, everyone in the division has improved, including the Browns, and it’s time to see who can actually get a hot streak going.
While it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of upside when it comes to the Browns in 2017, especially after the team’s struggles over the last decade or two, the team is still on the rise with a young roster. Their best case may not land them atop the division, but the AFC North usually takes two teams to the postseason, and that wild card spot is going to be wide-open this year.
It’s not likely Cleveland is pushing for the postseason, but even a few wins is a big improvement from their previous performances.
Worst case
Unfortunately, in such a tough division, the Browns may still find themselves on the bottom by the end of the year as they have for the last six seasons.
The team is still incredibly young, will likely have a second-round rookie leading their offense and a lot of growing still to come in their rebuilding. Meanwhile, the Steelers are an established threat in the division, the Ravens and Bengals are both still talented and things could close up quickly if the Browns can’t get off to a hot start in 2017.
Worst case for the Browns likely sees them away from the playoffs once more. However, they went 1-15 in 2016, so it’s tough to imagine them getting any worse from last season.
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Final word
The Browns tend to be the laughingstock of the league throughout any season, and they haven’t even been able to crack their division’s top three since a third-place finish in 2010. Now, they’ll at least have a shot to make a run in the AFC North.
There’s a lot of question marks surrounding pretty much every team in the division, whether it’s dealing with suspensions, injuries or just overall talent doubts, and the Browns are obviously no different. If there’s ever a year to do it, 2017 is going to have to be it until Ben Roethlisberger is out of the equation.
They’re young, they’re talented and this year could be big for the franchise, and the start of a new era if Kizer can get going quickly.