After being in the pit of misery for…well…forever, the Cleveland Browns have put together quite an offseason.
They have made aggressive moves that have made them an interesting contender and are filled with an extremely bright future.
Here’s a list of their recent acquisitions:
WR Jarvis Landry
QB Tyrod Taylor
CB Damarious Randall
RB Carlos Hyde
CB Terrance Mitchell
OL Chris Hubbard
OL Donald Stephenson
After the trades for Landry, Taylor, and Randall, everyone was still scoffing at the trades, saying “Whatever, they’re still the Browns”. And while that may be warranted, because amongst all this we cannot forget they have won ONE game in two seasons, I think that’s a narrative that will begin to quickly dwindle away.
They already have one of the most talented receivers to ever step on a football field in the likes of Josh Gordon (led the NFL in receiving while drunk), and let’s not forget about having the 1st and 4th overall picks in this year’s stacked draft class. They also have last year’s first overall pick in Myles Garrett, 23rd overall pick Jabrill Peppers, and 29th overall pick David Njoku.
Nobody has ruled out the factor of drafting Saquon Barkley with the 1st pick, but recent mock drafts suggest the Browns will improve their defense by selecting NC State DE Bradley Chubb. Running backs are almost never picked in the top ten, but the overall consensus is that Saquon is different than the rest.
Taking the almighty Saquon would give the Browns probably the best running back committee in the league, pairing him with already successful, former 49ers back Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson. Adding that to the elite receiving duo of second year tight end Njoku, Landry, and Gordon, and an experienced, smart quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, their offense is actually scary. If their two new lineman play up to par, and the possibility of drafting one of the best QB’s in the draft to learn from Taylor, they can just get better.
As for their defense, it was already one of the top 20 defenses in the league last year. I know that’s not a lot to say considering there’s only 32 teams, but with a young defense, that is great news. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but the talent is there for sure. If they decide to draft Chubb with one of those picks, then they’ll have two elite pass rushers. Their new cornerback duo in Randall and Mitchell gives some experience to that side of the field, and if they can add some linebackers into the mix with some talent and heart (perhaps some undrafted players with potential), then they can quickly transform into a successful defense.
So, with all that said, the Browns might actually be good. What a time.
