Browns well set to improve in 2022
Just a year ago, Cleveland Browns fans were possibly the most ecstatic that they had been for almost 20 years.
Fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2002 in 2020, they had caught the league by surprise, taking down “big brother,” the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Wild Card stunner.
After losing former Coach of the Year, Kevin Stefanski to COVID-19 and numerous other starters, it seemed that the ‘Terrible Towels’ would be waving again with jubilation over the Browns. But, the visitors walked right into Heinz Field on a frigid January night and snatched the heart out of their opponent.
The game seemed effectively over at halftime with the scoreboard illuminating a 35-10 deficit that was too large to overcome. Cleveland advanced to the next round of the postseason for the first time since 1995.
Following that impressive feat, Patrick Mahomes and the title-defending Kansas City Chiefs were next at Arrowhead Stadium. Mahomes would be ruled out succeeding a concussion he suffered at around the midway point of the game. That sparked new energy into the underdog Browns.
They made the necessary plays to trim the lead to 5 and grant themselves to go on the road again and shock the league.
Heartbreak formed in the shape of a failed drive for Baker Mayfield and his unit. With around four minutes remaining they were forced to punt it away to Mahomes’s veteran backup Chad Henne.
It might not have been the ending they wanted, but 2020-21 was a terrific season for the Browns, which left Clevelanders with loads of optimism for the following year.
A year to remember, then a year to forget
The 2021 regular season did get off to a decent start. The Browns met in a rematch with the Chiefs back in Missouri and it went down to the last drive once more. Baker threw a gut-wrenching interception to gift the home team a victory.
Cleveland nearly mirrored their start to the 2020 campaign with a 3-1 record heading into week five. From that point on, things took a tumultuous turn. The Browns would go 5-12 to finish 8-9 without ever threatening a return to the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
Who was to blame? Fingers could have been pointed at a lot of different people throughout the organization.
Baker Mayfield’s inconsistencies getting the ball to his receivers, namely to former wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Tons of nagging injuries to Baker, All-Pro running back Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and others. Coaching wise, Stefanski took way too many unneeded risks on fourth down plays.
And maybe the biggest storyline within the locker room were the videos uploaded to social media by Beckham’s father.
He called out Baker Mayfield by posting clips of the Oklahoma product not targeting Odell on some routes. It added more drama and unease to the whole mess and it sort of summed the season the Browns had.
Safe to say, last season was a massive disappointment for the Cleveland Browns.
Where are we now?
Surprisingly, all of this turmoil has placed the Cleveland Browns in prime position to head back to the playoffs and snatch an AFC North crown.
General manager Andrew Berry and the rest of the front office came to the conclusion that Baker is not going to be the quarterback to lead the Browns to its ultimate destination.
And following the rumblings of the Browns pursuing former Houston Texans quarterback, Deshaun Watson, it was widely reported that Mayfield had demanded a trade.
Mayfield spoke with ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter saying, “It’s in the mutual interest of both sides for us to move on.. The relationship is too far gone to mend. It’s in the best interests of both sides to move on.”
The proceeding news shocked the entire NFL, especially since Cleveland was originally told by Watson’s camp on March 17 that they were no longer in the four-team race for his services. The others vying to acquire Deshaun at the time were the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers.
It was the same day Mayfield asked for a new place to play. But, just 24 hours later, Watson chose the brown and orange to continue his playing career.
He was immediately signed to a monstrous five-year $230 million contract, fully guaranteed. It is safe to say that Watson was thrilled to join the Dawg Pound. He captioned a photo on Instagram saying, “Cleveland, LETSSSS GOOOO!! #DawgPound Ready To Work!”
But Andrew Berry kept the hits coming. A few days before accruing Watson, a deal was made with the Dallas Cowboys to bring Amari Cooper to Lake Erie.
All that was required was to send over a fifth round selection and a swap of sixth rounders in this year’s draft.
Cooper has been selected to four Pro Bowls and has five 1000 plus receiving yard seasons.
Some other notable acquisitions include former New England defensive end Chase Winovich. He was exchanged for linebacker Mack Wilson out of Alabama. Cleveland also signed Jakeem Grant, a valuable kick returner brought over from the Chicago Bears.
However, the Browns did also let a few of their pieces go in free agency as well. Austin Hooper was allowed to test the waters and wound up finding a home with the Tennessee Titans. One strong link in the offensive-line chain, J.C. Tretter, was released back on March 10. Probably the most impactful loss was Jarvis Landry.
He joined the Browns back in 2018 and became one of the cornerstone pieces during the rebuilding process. His toughness, leadership, and competitive fervor were a match made in heaven for the blue-collared city of Cleveland.
Landry recorded four years of 800 plus yards and 19 total touchdowns. He inked a deal with the Saints.
Even with some big names gone, Cleveland still retained big assets. Keeping star cornerback Denzel Ward was one of the Browns biggest priorities in the offseason. The two parties worked out a contract for five more seasons that guarantees the former Ohio State Buckeye $71.2 million out of a possible $100 million.
Additionally, the super athletic tight end, David Njoku, was franchise tagged on March 2.
Then in the 2022 NFL Draft, Cleveland unfortunately did not have much to work with. Most of the picks went to Houston as a part of the Deshaun trade. An intriguing pick up was Purdue Boilermaker wideout, David Bell.
In his three years, Bell hauled in two seasons of 1000 plus receiving yards while averaging just over 100 yards per game. Standing at 6’ 2” and weighing 205 pounds, he is agile and great at beating the press.
His route running and awareness look to fit nicely to round out the receiving room for Stefanski and Watson.
Back to the playoffs in 2022?
Cleveland has entrenched themselves back into the conversation as one of the top teams in the AFC this offseason. The roster has talent at nearly every position.
The offensive line might be the strongest unit. Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Jedrick Wills Jr. are all studs at their respective positions and should be in for a better all around season with Watson at the helm.
The ball catchers are also solid. Cooper, Njoku, Bell, and Donovan Peoples-Jones with another year under his belt all bring unique skill sets to the table.
Then, you have the backfield with the two-headed monster of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Both compliment each other and can both be power runners, especially number 24.
On the defensive side of the ball, Denzel, annual Defensive Player of the Year nominee, Myles Garrett, Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, finish things off in a great way.
The question that is on everyone’s mind right now though is, when will Deshaun Watson play?. He will not face any criminal charges, but can still face a potential suspension from the NFL for the 22 allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him.
If he is suspended, how many games will the Browns be without their star quarterback? Presuming Mayfield doesn’t play, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs are the main backups to Watson. It is a real possibility one of them will have to hold down the fort in his absence.
It is tough to give a solid answer on what the final record will be for this rendition of the Browns with this question looming over the franchise. The first half of their schedule is a mixture of real chances at wins and losses.
Games 1-4 are the Panthers, New York Jets, the rebuilding Steelers and Falcons. Even with Brissett possibly running the show, Cleveland can start 4-0.
However, the next four are all tough matchups. Luckily three of them are at home (Los Angeles Chargers, Patriots, and Cincinnati Bengals). Realistically, they can go 2-2, defeating the Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
Cleveland gets their bye week right in the middle of the season. With a likely pending suspension, Watson should be able to return by week eight at the latest when they face the Bengals but, it is a huge question mark.
Second half opponents include the new-look Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Others to keep an eye on are the matchups with the Texans and Saints. Both have former players on both sidelines so those are potential trap games for the Browns.
Overall, Cleveland can end up with at best a 12-5 record and no lower than 10 wins. The AFC is definitely the tougher conference all around.
The AFC West alone will be the best division in football with all four having a good shot to make the playoffs.
The AFC North contains the reigning Super Bowl runner-ups in the Bengals, as well as the Ravens, the Steelers and the Browns. Heading to the East, Josh Allen and the Bills have a great roster up and down and the Dolphins could make a push as long as Tua Tagovailoa can be consistent. Finally, down south are the usually steady Titans and re-tooled Indianapolis Colts.
It will be close, but the Browns have a great chance at securing another Wild Card berth.
