By Calvin K (Twitter: @Calvin_SGF)

On the surface, the Cleveland Browns appear to have a great opportunity to contend for the AFC title this year. The Browns retained most of their key players from 2020, and they had a very successful offseason, both in free agency and in the draft. This team certainly has an opportunity to make a playoff run, but in this article, I’ll play devil’s advocate and make the case against them. Here are three reasons why the Browns won’t take a step forward in 2021.

1. Quality of Victories

The Browns finished 11-5 in 2020, losing in the divisional round to the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Steelers in the Wild Card game. However, five of those victories came against teams with four or fewer wins, and they also had an embarrassing loss to the 2-14 New York Jets. Eight of their victories came by single-digits, and they had three double-digit losses, including two coming by over 30 points.

Granted, the Browns did get some big wins throughout the year, with a win over Indianapolis and narrow victories over Tennessee and Pittsburgh. They also rebounded from their earlier 32-point loss to Baltimore, losing by just five, and they also came within one score of the Chiefs in their divisional-round game. However, most of their wins were extremely close games, and they were in one-possession games against Houston, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and Cincinnati (twice). They managed to get the job done in those, winning all five, but a little bit of variance in just two of those could’ve completely changed the landscape of last season. A 9-7 (or even 10-6) Browns team would’ve missed the playoffs last season, which leads nicely into my next point: the tough competition in the AFC.

2. Competition

Even if the Browns have a great year, it could still be difficult to take a step forward and reach the championship game in 2021. The AFC had seven teams with records of 11-5 or better last year, which caused the 10-6 Dolphins to miss out on the playoffs despite the postseason expanding to seven teams per conference.

The Browns themselves had to deal with this tough competition last year, playing a grueling game against the Steelers in the Wild Card matchup before facing the juggernaut Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes was injured for nearly half of that game, but Kansas City’s supporting cast was still good enough to hold off the Browns, exemplifying how elite they really are. The Bills, Ravens, Titans, and Colts are also teams that range from very good to dominant, and we can’t forget about the threats posed by the Patriots, Chargers, Dolphins, and Broncos, who will all have a chance to take a major step up this year. It just doesn’t seem feasible that the Browns would be able to defeat a healthy Chiefs team, and even if they could, the Bills’ high-powered offense and improved defense is in a much better position to do so anyway. The tough AFC competition will make a playoff run difficult for Cleveland, and while they could contend with most NFC teams, it isn’t smart to bet on the Browns as anything more than a Super Bowl long shot.

3. Quarterback Play

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is hardly a bad QB, but it is possible that he won’t be consistent enough to take this team to the top. The Browns have very few weaknesses on their overall roster, but quarterback is such an important position that even a slight disadvantage can derail a Super Bowl chance.

Mayfield certainly displayed plenty of brilliant flashes last season, but his overall body of work was mediocre, at least statistically. His worst stat last year was completion percentage, where he actually finished 30th among qualifying passers. He was also just 18th in passing yards and 15th in passing touchdowns, although those totals can be partially attributed to the run-heavy nature of the Browns’ offense. Mayfield was also 10th in ESPN’s QBR (Total Quarterback Rating), so he’s certainly not a bad player by any means, but he has struggled with decision-making at times. It’s certainly possible Mayfield is able to be a great QB, but his statistics don’t match up with elite passers in the NFL, and that could potentially become a hindrance for Cleveland’s Super Bowl hopes.

Conclusion

All of the reasons given paint an unfavorable picture for the Browns, but we shouldn’t forget the many positives that this team has as well. The Browns made many depth signings to improve their defense, and they added an edge-rushing playmaker in Jadeveon Clowney, who has the physical traits needed to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines. The NFL draft additions of CB Greg Newsome and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will also be vital for this defense, and those two players could both make immediate impacts for the team.

Overall, Cleveland will enter the 2021 season with a very strong roster, and there’s no arguing against the talent that the team possesses. On paper, this team looks like a borderline Super Bowl contender. However, due to the reasons stated above, there are major obstacles standing in the way of a big next step. These obstacles are ones that can be overcome, but even so, the end of the 2021 season may not come with as rosy of a picture as Browns fans hope.

The post Why the Browns May Not Take the Next Step appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

With each day that passes, we are getting closer and closer to football season. Before we get to the pre-season, training camp has to happen. There are always intriguing position battles to watch for each team, and with the Browns, there are a few in particular that should be on the front of fan’s minds.

Cleveland has one of, if not the most complete roster in all of football. This means tough decisions will have to be made on who makes the team and who ends up being the week one starters. The offensive side of the ball is basically set as is, so most of these interesting battles will be taking place on the defensive side. Let’s take a look at the two position battles to keep an eye on during training camp

The defensive line as a whole

The toughest decisions for the coaching staff will be on the defensive line. The edges are set with superstar Myles Garrett and the well-known Jadeveon Clowney, with free agent acquisition Takk Mckinley on rotation. Where it gets interesting is the interior defensive line. Below are the players on the interior fighting for a roster spot and a starting job:

Malik Jackson (free agent signing)

Sheldon Day (2021 signing from practice squad)

Jordan Elliot (Browns draft pick, 2020)

Malik McDowell (2021 free agent signing)

Damion Square (2021 free agent signing)

Tommy Togiai (Browns draft pick, 2021)

Marvin Wilson (2021 undrafted free agent signing)

That is a massive amount of talent fighting for a few roster spots. General Manager Andrew Berry is very high on Jordan Elliot, who showed flashes in his 2020 rookie year. Malik Jackson will most likely take Sheldon Richardson’s spot, so if all goes well he will be first on the depth chart. Tommy Togiai was drafted this year, so one would think he has a spot solidified. Malik McDowell is interesting as well, but he doesn’t have much experience. Perhaps the one to watch the most is undrafted free agent Marvin Wilson. At one point, he was one of the best defensive tackles in college football. His talent is undeniable, but he got caught up with some on and off the field issues at Florida State. If he puts it all together, he could be a massive steal that makes the roster.

Overall, the coaching staff will likely keep three or four of them on the roster, so it will be exciting to see what happens. A scenario of Jackson, Elliot, and Togiai making the roster with Square and Marvin Wilson on the practice squad is fairly likely. But we will know soon enough.

The Cornerbacks

Besides Pro Bowler Denzel Ward, the cornerback room has a long way until the other starter is decided. Rookie first round pick Greg Newsome has a substantial amount of hype and has looked good so far in minicamps, but he is still a rookie after all. Greedy Williams hasn’t played football in awhile, but he had plenty of flashes in 2019 of being a good player in this league. It is going to be fascinating to see who ends up winning the starting job between Newsome and Williams. They’re both incredibly talented and liked by the front office quite a bit. They will both definitely make the team, but who starts opposite of Denzel Ward likely won’t be decided until the end of training camp, possibly even the end of pre-season. Odds are it will be Newsome since he is this current front office’s guy, but don’t sleep on Williams. He has something to prove. Troy Hill is probably the only other player within the cornerbacks that has a starting spot secured. He will be the Nickel corner and can possibly jump outside as well if needed.

Turning to the depth side of the roster, the battle between Robert Jackson and AJ Green should be intense. Green was an undrafted free agent signing in 2020, and was giving a generous rookie contract. There were whispers that he looked good on the practice squad in 2020, but he needed more development. Seeing how far he has come since then during training camp will be fun to watch. Robert Jackson stepped in as a starter in 2020 due to injuries, and his play was fairly rocky. But he is good on special teams and can snag a roster spot if he continues to excel there. Will Green be able to show special teams skills and get Jackson’s spot instead? Or will they both make the roster? Time will tell, but get your popcorn ready because it will be electric.

The post Two Position Battles to Watch In Cleveland’s Training Camp appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

The NFL career for Baker Mayfield has been somewhat of a rollercoaster. In his 2018 rookie year, he set the rookie record for passing touchdowns with 27 (which has since been broken by Justin Herbert in 2020), and lead the previous winless browns to a 7-8-1 record. Baker made countless impressive throws and looked like anything but a rookie almost all season. After that electric rookie season, the future looked bright for Mayfield.

Expectations skyrocketed in the 2019 off-season when the Browns traded for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Fan favorite Freddie Kitchens was named the head coach and suddenly, the Browns were being talked about as legitimate Super Bowl Contenders. Hype surrounded Baker Mayfield as he appeared near the top in MVP odds, as many expected him to throw for 40 touchdowns and 4,500 yards. Unfortunately, Cleveland fell well short of expectations and finished 6-10 in 2019. Baker Mayfield was quickly painted as a “one read QB” and became known as a guy who was snarky with reporters and added to the many distractions from the team that year. Baker finished with 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

Anyone who watched every Browns game knew that Baker wasn’t the real problem in 2019. It was the coaching, scheme, lack of preparation, and the offensive line. Some of the blame can be put on Baker, who admitted after the season that some of the players, himself included, thought it would come together a lot easier and they assumed they would be great. You still have to put the work in, and Baker learned that the hard way. Shortly after the season ended, Freddie Kitchens and General Manager John Dorsey were fired, and Cleveland began doing something that they know all too well: looking for a coach.

What looked like a bright future quickly saw the lights go out, and people began to speculate if Baker was the guy to lead the Browns to success. A lot of that was warranted, but some of it became too harsh of a narrative for someone who had a great rookie season not long ago. Plenty of quarterbacks have sophomore slumps, so why immediately write Baker off? The answer is simple… He plays in Cleveland, and with how bad they have been for so long, getting respect from the league and media is very challenging.

In 2020 the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski as the head coach and Andrew Berry as the General Manager. The hires of them were liked around the league, but per usual we just needed to see it to truly know. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full force, Stefanski had his work cut out for him with an unprecedented off-season. One of his biggest tasks was fixing Baker Mayfield. Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt found numerous ways to help Baker, such as changing his footwork and throwing motion. The most promising part of it all is the offense Stefanski wanted to run played to Baker’s strengths so well.

Doubters of Mayfield were silenced after he finished the 2020 season with 26 touchdowns, only 8 interceptions, and a top-10 Pro Football Focus 81.6 grade. He also leads the Browns to their first playoff victory since 1994 and looked impressive in the postseason overall, even in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. He looked comfortable in the offense, especially on the back half of the season when he finished with 20 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions from week 7 on. He was playing as well as Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes in the second half of the year and that isn’t a fluke. Baker has had the traits of a great QB for years, he just needed the right coach to unlock them.

So now all of this brings us to 2021. Coming off an 11-5 record and bolstering the defense all off-season, the Super Bowl expectations are real this time around, unlike 2019, and Baker is poised to full break out. What makes it different this time? There are a few things that factor into it.

The most important factor is there isn’t a coaching change. Baker will have the same head coach in back to back years since 2015-2016. Think about that… Baker has faced adversity a lot in his career, but now he finally has stability and an evolving playbook to learn, instead of a completely new one. In addition to that, there was no turnover on any of the coaching staff or the starting offense. They are completely running it back, which is rare in this league. Baker will be very comfortable in 2021.

One of the weaknesses of the Browns offense, particularly in the playoff game against the Chiefs, is that they had little speed and couldn’t stretch the field. This held them back a lot and made it tough to move the ball at times. The good news is, that should be completely different in 2021. Odell Beckham Jr is returning from an ACL tear, and is reportedly looking amazing in his rehab. He is already making cuts and catches that most couldn’t do at this point in his recovery. Comeback Player of the Year is realistic for OBJ and he should thrive now that Mayfield is comfortable and familiar with the offense. In addition to Beckham, the Browns drafted Anthony Schwartz in the 2021 draft. He ran the fastest 40 yard dash time with a 4.25, and is expected to factor in to help stretch the field.

As mentioned earlier, Andrew Berry and company completely overhauled their defense this off-season and are now expected to be in the top 10 of the entire NFL. If they perform as expected, that will help Mayfield with his mindset during games knowing if they can get a big lead, the defense can do their part and hold it. In 2020, that was not the case. The offense would get a big lead and oftentimes let teams catch back up and make it closer than it should have been. 2021 should be much different. Expect the Browns to blow out a few teams.

One of the final factors is that there is an actual off-season instead of just zoom meetings and limited training camp. The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating and challenging in general, and it made it difficult for Baker to learn another new offense mostly virtually without a pre-season. In 2021, there is a normal off-season routine, minicamps, training camp, and pre-season games. This will be huge for Mayfield and the team in general to get all of that work in person.

A stable environment is key for any quarterback to survive in the NFL, and it is honestly not talked about enough how Baker Mayfield has survived multiple head coaches, offensive coordinators, and offensive schemes in his young career. 2020 Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski is the perfect coach for Baker and if things go well, it could be a duo that remains a contender for many years to come. It is very possible for Mayfield to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl with a 35+ touchdown season. He recently appeared as the most popular 2021 MVP bet in the William Hill US sports book, so apparently many people think he will break out as well and it is real, unlike in 2019. In due time, we’ll all know.

The post Why Baker Mayfield will fully breakout In 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Odell Beckham Jr. has been one of the more intriguing players in the league the last few seasons, for many reasons.  His fiery amped up attitude being one, which is extremely entertaining to watch and makes the Browns “must-watch” football whenever he is on the field.  The other reason being his injury in 2020, which left many people speculating on whether or not he would return to himself in 2021.  

In this article, I will be going over why OBJ will return to form this coming season, as well as what we should be expecting from the (entering) 8^th year wideout.

This is Not His First Injury

While this is the most severe injury OBJ has sustained to date, realistically it is not even close to the first as of now.  To date I count fourteen injuries, which fall into the following categories:

• Hip strains/sprains (two)
• Hamstring tear/sprains (three)
• Lumbar spinal bruising/hernia (three)
• Foot/ankle injuries (three)
• Other (four) i.e. thumb, quad, etc.

With all these injuries, he has only missed 28 games, compared to the 82 that he has played so far, only 19 of the missed games coming prior to this season.  He has been able to bounce back from all his injuries and still do absolutely amazing things on the field, this should not change that.  He has also had an exceptionally long time to heal as it happened mid-season, so he has the nine weeks he missed last year plus all offseason to rehab.

Torn ACLs normally take roughly six to nine months to rehabilitate fully to where it is functional again for the most part.  OBJ injured his ACL on November first of last year, meaning his rehab should complete between April and July this year.  Both of these are prior to the preseason, and even prior to some training camps, which is fantastic news for Browns fans.

Mentality & Tenacity

As I mentioned previously, OBJ is an extremely hard-nosed player most of the time and really fights for every yard on the field.  His emotions on the field should carry into his physical therapy presumably, as he would work his hardest to get back onto the field.  As where some players may take it slow and spend extra time rehabbing, OBJ will do whatever he can to get back on the field as soon as possible.

As long as he does not rush the process too much and takes his time with the correct physical therapy, he should be ready to go for the season.  Another thing to note is these players have some of the best physical therapists in the country no doubt, as teams normally have them on site and hire them based on their credentials realistically.  

Playstyle of OBJ

One of the biggest notions here to focus on is how OBJ’s playstyle would be affected by this injury both in the short and long run.  He primarily runs short to intermediate routes and focuses on YAC type receiving to do the work, as well as contested catches where his hands are the biggest component.  He is not necessarily the shiftiest receiver out there or the fastest, so he likely will not put a ton of pressure on the ACL to perform constantly.

The injury was sustained in a freak accident, not during his routes, which is why I believe this is not a huge cause for concern.  As long as he can keep that knee stable whether that be with compression or other small forms of game padding, he likely should not see any drop-off in his receiving numbers, as they are not reliant on game breaking shifts. 

The post Why will the Cleveland Browns WR1 return to form in 2021? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

Baker Mayfield has been one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in football since breakout season in 2015 at the University of Oklahoma. Since being selected with the number one overall pick in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield has been under scrutiny. Many argued that Mayfield was not the right pick and that the Browns should have selected a different quarterback such as Josh Allen or Sam Darnold. 

Now, with three seasons passing since Mayfield was selected by the Browns, the jury is still not out on whether or not he is the guy for the job. He is still one of the more scrutinized players in the NFL and with the recent success that Josh Allen has had with the Buffalo Bills, the selection of Mayfield is being looked at even more. So that begs the question of, is Baker underrated or overrated? Let’s take a look. 

Mayfield has started 47 games for the Cleveland Browns. In those 47 games, he has a record of 24-23. His first two seasons, from a team perspective, were mediocre at best. 

During his rookie season, he had a record of 6-7 in the games that he appeared in. He threw 27 touchdown passes, which was the record until being broken by Los Angeles Chargers rookie Justin Herbert this past season. 

His sophomore season still didn’t jump from a winning standpoint. Cleveland finished with a record of 6-10 and Baker threw 21 interceptions. At this point, many people began to re-open the case against Mayfield and that he might not be the man for the job. At times it seemed as if the NFL game was too fast for him and he wasn’t capable of leading a team. 

The 2020 season saw a different Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has always played with a swagger and as if he has something to prove at all times. At times, in 2019, it didn’t seem like Mayfield was doing this in 2019, but in 2020 he was back to his old ways. He threw for 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He also added one more touchdown on the ground. 

He led the Browns to an 11-5 record, their best regular season since 1994. The Browns also made an impact in the playoffs, something they hadn’t been capable of doing in years. A wildcard matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers showed just how big Mayfield could play when it mattered. The Browns beat the Steelers 48-37, which marked their first playoff win since 1994. In this game, Baker threw three touchdowns against a top defensive unit. 

Their season came to an end against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 22-17 loss marked the ending to the Browns season that was their best since 1994.

This was all formulated by Baker Mayfield. He was the QB1 that led the team into battle. But what does this mean for Baker? Is he still underrated or overrated?

I believe that he is underrated, especially when considering how he finished the 2020 season. Would a different quarterback who had a similar season to Mayfield still be seen as overrated? Cleveland has been attempting to address the quarterback position for what feels like an eternity at this point. They have swung and missed on more quarterbacks than you count on two hands and yet they have finally found one. Baker Mayfield has done more than enough to show that he should be the quarterback of the future in Cleveland. He has accomplished too much for the organization in his three years to be seen as overrated. Leading Cleveland to the playoffs should be enough to remove the overrated tag and the stats back this up. 79 touchdowns in just 48 games. An eleven-win season with a team that finished 0-16 just a year prior to him arriving. 

What he has done for their organization has not been spoken about enough. The Browns were considered a bottom-tier franchise by much of the NFL for a long time. And now they are one of the best teams in the league. They have some of the highest odds to win the super bowl and the expectations will be higher than they ever have been for this team. Regardless of how this upcoming season goes for the Browns, Baker will be the one that is scrutinized. Teams live and die by their QB and it will be no different in Cleveland. But even so, this underrated QB1 will have even more to prove in 2021. 

The post Is Mayfield underrated or overrated appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

With the NFL Draft over and Free Agency remaining very quiet, we’re getting to a point where teams will focus on the players on their roster and the decisions to be made. The Cleveland Browns made several great moves this off-season, and that means the pressure is on for a few players to prove they should be on the team. There will be tough choices to be made from GM Andrew Berry and challenging hills to climb for a few players that have been with the team for a few years. Let’s check out the players with the most to prove in OTA’s and Training Camp.

Greedy Williams – CB

It wasn’t long ago that Greedy Williams was the starter alongside Denzel Ward in the secondary. He had impressive flashes in his 2019 rookie season and also showed plenty of areas to improve on. Either way, the future seemed bright for the LSU product. Unfortunately, Greedy began dealing with a nerve issue in his shoulder before the 2020 season started and he didn’t play one snap. It quickly became concerning because nerve damage is something that can stick around forever, so many wondered if Williams would even play again. Earlier this year, he took to Twitter to announce he was coming back. As exciting as this is for him, the Browns have a stacked secondary after drafting Greg Newsome out of Northwestern and signing Troy Hill from the Los Angeles Rams. All of the sudden, Greedy will have to work even harder to prove he still has the talent to make the roster. He hasn’t played football in a long time, so hopefully he hasn’t lost a step. You can never have too many cornerbacks, so at least he has that in his favor.

Jordan Elliot – DT

One room that has gotten crowded fast for the Browns is the defensive line room. Jordan Elliot was drafted by Andrew Berry in the 3rd round of the 2020 draft and he saw some rotational playing time last season. He finished with 12 tackles, 1 forced fumble and a 55.3 Pro Football Focus grade. There were several moments where he looked like a first string player, but he still has an uphill battle to make the roster and earn playing time in 2021. Cleveland drafted Tommy Togiai out of Ohio State in the 4th round, signed Malik Jackson, and they have Andrew Billings coming back after opting out in 2020. In addition to them, veterans Sheldon Day and Damion Square will be competing for roster spots. Things will be interesting with Jordan Elliot and the defensive line room.

The Browns had arguably the best offensive line in football last season. The starters are set for years to come, but that doesn’t mean depth isn’t needed. Drew Forbes was drafted by John Dorsey in the 6th round of the 2019 draft out of Southeast Missouri State. He hasn’t seen any playing time, but at one time there were rumblings of him having tremendous upside at the pro level after a few years of development. Forbes chose to opt out of the 2020 season, so making the roster in 2021 is going to be very challenging. The Browns have since drafted James Hudson and Nick Harris, both of which can play all over the offensive line. They also brought in Blake Hance who came up clutch in the playoffs against the Steelers, as well as Michael Dunn. Forbes will have his work cut out for him if he wants to wear the brown and orange in 2021.

The post Three Browns Players with the most to prove this Offseason appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

The AFC North is arguably the best division in all of football. With the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens all finishing with 10+ wins last year and the Bengals on the come up, the competition is at an all time high. The Steelers won the division in 2020 and the Ravens finished second and have former MVP Lamar Jackson at QB. On the flip side, the Browns are coming off their best season in over 20 years and they convincingly beat the Steelers in the playoffs. Could they be the favorites to win the AFC North in 2021? It is more possible than you might think. Let’s see how it all stacks up.

Let’s start with Free Agency and the NFL Draft. One could argue that the Browns improved the most in these categories out of any team in the AFC North. They only lost a few players and who they lost were replaced with far more talented players. Some notable additions are below:

John Johnson

Troy Hill

Anthony Walker

Jadeveon Clowney

Greg Newsome (rookie)

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (rookie)

Anthony Schwartz (rookie)

With the defense completely overhauled and the offense returning with little to no changes, the Browns could be extremely scary in 2021. Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski made it a point to become more versatile and unpredictable with all of their signings and draft picks. Clowney and Owusu-Koramoah are the two guys to contain Lamar Jackson, something Cleveland struggled to do in 2020.

Speaking of Lamar Jackson, the Ravens had a mixture of solid additions and key losses. The most surprising thing was that they didn’t aggressively go after the top wide receiver free agents, and instead settled on the injury prone Sammy Watkins and they drafted Rashod Bateman in the first round. Their losses outweigh the additions. Some notable losses below:

Mark Ingram

Matthew Judon

Yannick Ngakoue

Matt Skura

Willie Snead

Orlando Brown Jr (Trade)

The Ravens did draft well as usual, but they definitely lost a lot of talented players. They will be the biggest threat to the Browns winning the division in 2021, but they are more vulnerable this year than they have been in the past and with the additions Cleveland made on defense, it could get very interesting.

Turning now to another AFC North team, the Steelers had a fairly weak draft and lost some key players. Plus they have Big Ben coming back at QB and at this point in his career, he’s not even close to what he once was. Some notable losses are below:

Bud Dupree

Mike Hilton

Tyson Alualu

Matt Feiler

Maurkice Pouncey

Vince Williams

That is a lot of key losses, especially to an already struggling offensive line. They added the dynamic running back Najee Harris, but that was arguably their best pick in a low graded 2021 draft. It doesn’t do much to bring in a good running back when your offensive line is below average. The Steelers also managed to bring back Juju Smith-Shuester, but he’s proved to not be a number one game-changing wide receiver at this point in his career. There is a good chance that Pittsburgh regresses in 2021, similar to how they fell off in the back half of 2020.

It’ll come down to which team wants it more, but the Browns could easily be considered the favorite to win the division with eleven or twelve wins. The Ravens will be the biggest threat and the Steelers could have their first losing season in a long time. The Bengals aren’t expected to be a threat, but they could have an exciting offense to watch. They’re still few years away from contending for the division. It also helps the Browns that they have a third place schedule in 2021, so they’ll be beating up on a lot of lesser teams.

The post Are the Browns AFC North Favorites Right Now? How it Stacks up appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

The Cleveland Browns are heading into the 2021 season with one of the best rosters in the NFL. Pretty crazy thing to say, right? GM Andrew Berry had a lot of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball this off-season and he did an incredible job filling them. A lot of the moves he made will only set up star Myles Garrett for even more success.

Myles has been one of the best defensive players in the league since being drafted first overall in 2017, racking up 42.5 sacks and 42 tackles for a loss. At this point, it isn’t IF Myles will take home the Defensive Player of the Year award, it’s WHEN. Let’s take a look at why the 2021 season might be the one where he takes home the hardware.

The additions to the secondary

It is no secret that Cleveland’s secondary in 2020 was lackluster. Andrew Berry made that his top priority to improve in the 2021 off-season, and he was aggressive right out of the gate. He signed Safety John Johnson and Cornerback Troy Hill, immediately making the defense better. In addition to that, Safety Grant Delpit and Cornerback Greedy Williams are returning from injury. Oh, and don’t forget about Pro-Bowler Denzel Ward. Add all of that up and it means one thing; better coverage equals quarterbacks holding onto the ball longer. Myles Garrett could very well add more sacks because of that.

The signing of Jadeveon Clowney

For the past few years, Myles had Olivier Veron opposite of him on the defensive line. Vernon played well in his time with the Browns, but Garrett still has always needed someone else on the line that commands the defensive coordinator’s attention. The Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney this off-season, finally giving Myles someone that can take pressure off him and allow the double teams to subside. Clowney is 5th in the NFL in double team rate Myles is 3rd, so basically…. pick your poison. Having Clowney will only allow for Garrett to get to the quarterback even more.

The offense’s ability to put up points

The Browns had several games in 2020 where they scored more than 30 points, and with every offensive starter returning this fall, it is safe to assume that they will have no problem putting up points. This means that teams will be playing from behind, thus giving Myles Garrett even more chances to get sacks since the bulk of plays will be passing.

He’s an absolute unit

This one will be short and sweet. Myles is a specimen that, at times, looks as if he isn’t from this world. The scary part is that he is in his prime and will only get stronger and bigger. It is next to impossible for him to be blocked one on one and breaking twenty sacks is very likely to happen at some point in his career.

The post 4 reasons Why Myles Garrett Will Win DPOY in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Cleveland Browns are coming off the back of their best season in 18 years. Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, a road playoff win and a heartbreaking one score loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They look to be on the doorstep of Super Bowl contention themselves and can make large strides to reaching that precipice with a strong offseason. 

The Browns finished with the 17^th overall defense but allowed 26.2 points per game. Upgrading the defense this offseason will undoubtedly be a priority in Cleveland this offseason and you’ll sense that trend with this article. The defensive gameplan at times seemed to be to hope Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward could make a play. The Browns surrendered 35 points in five games this past season and need help at basically every level on defense. Here are three realistic additions on defense that can help get the Browns defense back up to speed. 

#1 Carl Lawson

The strength of the Browns defense in 2020 was their front four. Anchored by Myles Garrett and his 12 sacks on the year the unit was relatively strong. 

They will have to make some decisions about the futures of Olivier Vernon and Larry Ogunjobi, who are both slated to hit free agency. The Browns drafted Jordan Elliot in the third round in last year’s draft and will have Andrew Billings back after he opted out of the 2020 season so they’ll have adequate depth at defensive tackle. 

Browns have a handful of question marks on the edge however. Olivier Vernon will be coming off of a ruptured Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Week 16 against the Steelers. That leaves them with backups in solid veteran Adrian Clayborn and rookies Porter Gustin and Curtis Weaver. 

Well, Weaver has yet to play a down in the NFL after going on season ending IR. Carl Lawson would represent a big upgrade on that depth and give the Browns a good option to rush the passer across from Garrett.

Lawson would weaken a Bengals team in the same division and likely see an uptick in production as Garrett commands more attention from blockers. At 25 years old, Lawson could also be seen as a longer-term investment than re-signing Vernon.

#2 Zaven Collins

Collins is a name that has been mocked to the Browns a good bit in recent weeks and it’s relatively easy to see why. Collins has rocketed up draft boards and was an All-American, Chuck Bednarik award winner and Bronko Nagurski award winner in 2020. 

The biggest weakness on the Browns defense last season was arguably at linebacker. Browns linebackers struggled in coverage all season and could use an upgrade at middle linebacker. 

Collins is more of an outside linebacker but posted the highest coverage grade of any college linebacker since 2014. Collins is a swiss army knife and has shown to be adept at rushing the passer as well with four sacks in 2020. Collins is a raw athletic prospect with almost a superhero build at 6-4 and 260 lbs. Adding him to the linebacker room would be huge. 

#3 Brian Poole

The Browns figure to retool their secondary but it’s not likely they swing for the fences in this area as they look to retain some future flexibility. 

They also have the return Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit from injury to bolster the unit. The secondary also has Terrance Mitchell as an impending free agent and makes sense to return as well. 

The system defensive coordinator Joe Woods employs uses a lot of packages in the nickel formation so a move to add another corner wouldn’t hurt. Brian Poole was graded at a 77.0 by PFF and could seemingly be had for cheap after knee injuries plagued his 2020 season. 

Poole is talented and still registered 2 interceptions in his injury shortened season. He could be a good fit in the slot in Woods’ defense.

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