Cleveland Browns can’t settle for less than making the playoffs in 2020
The Browns had a lot of hype surrounding them entering the 2019 season and disappointed. Now, with no hype, they can’t miss the playoffs again.
After a 2019 offseason that saw the Browns add both Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at wide receiver, it looked like the Browns offense was going to be unstoppable.
Those two receivers were clearly added to give Baker Mayfield, who was entering year two of his career, some reliable weapons to help the offense. Mayfield had played well as a rookie, throwing for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 14 games (13 starts) and that gave Cleveland hope that they had finally – after nearly 20 years of searching – found a quarterback who would stick.
While Mayfield did start all 16 games in 2019, the Browns failed to live up to expectations, winning just six games and continuing to put themselves in the spotlight with their drama. From watch gate to Freddie Kitchens‘ immature t-shirt to just Freddie Kitchens in general, the Browns went from potential Super Bowl contenders (yes, there were people who actually believed this) to having a losing record and not having a winning record for the entire decade.
Fortunately for Cleveland, Kitchens is gone and Kevin Stefanski is in at head coach. Stefanski spent the back half of 2018 and all of 2019 as the Vikings offensive coordinator and we saw what a nice job he did in Minnesota.
Stefanski should be good for Mayfield, who is a big reason why 2019 didn’t go according to plan. He talked a big game every week, but didn’t live up to the words coming out of his mouth.
This offseason, Mayfield has been much quieter, as have his teammates. OBJ hasn’t made any kind of stir since the offseason began and the Browns decided to keep him in town and give him another shot after a disappointing 2019 campaign.
2020 is a new year for the Cleveland Browns.
There’s no hype surrounding the Browns this time around and that should be the exact situation they’re wanting to be in. No hype takes the pressure off of them and they can make mistakes without being scrutinized (especially if the players continue to be quiet and not talk smack). That’ll be huge for Mayfield and the rest of the team moving forward.
There really is no reason why the Browns shouldn’t be vying for a playoff spot in 2020, especially with the expanded playoff format.
For one, Mayfield has shown he can be a good quarterback. It’s clear he was frustrated in 2019, but people had way too high of expectations for him. This year, he can hopefully block those criticisms out a little better and play more like he did as a rookie in 2018.
OBJ and Landry now have a year of the offense under their belt and will hopefully not throw fits when they’re not targeted much in a game. Austin Hooper is going to provide Mayfield with a great tight end as well.
Throw in that the Browns have a solid running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and their offense should be good. Their offensive line was bad last year, but the additions of Jack Conklin through free agency and Jedrick Wills in the first round of the draft will help protect Mayfield and keep him upright.
Defensively, the Browns are stacked and were prior to their hype this time last year. Myles Garrett is locked up for five more years after signing a contract that made him the richest NFL defender and he has Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson to help him out up on the line as well. The secondary has Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and rookie Grant Delpit, all of whom should help force some takeaways.
If the Browns fail to push for a playoff spot in 2020, it’s very possible they look to tear everything down and build it back up again. That could include looking for a new quarterback (this is only if Mayfield struggles again) and trading off the big name players.
The best thing to happen to the Cleveland Browns is for no one to be giving them any hype. That’s just the way they should want it.