The Cleveland Browns are not having the season they had hoped to have on the field. Their 7-7 record with three games remaining has them on the outside looking in of the NFL playoffs. They still have a real shot at the AFC North crown and an outside shot at a wild card spot despite a tough closing schedule.
The team is far from satisfied and hasn’t made excuses but injuries throughout the season, drama and, recently, COVID-19 have made the season a difficult one. Expectations were heavy going in and no one believes they have met those expectations.
There have been some positives including the extensions given to Nick Chubb, Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller to help lock up key components of the running game. The team has also seen flashes from their rookie class starting with Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with smaller contributions, but exciting ones, early in the season from Demetric Felton and Anthony Schwartz.
The core of the Browns team was rewarded with Pro Bowl selections this week. On top of the five selected, most for the team since 2013, four others were selected as alternatives:
- Jadeveon Clowney
- Jedrick Wills
- JC Tretter
- Andy Janovich
While it is a quarterback-driven league, Cleveland has to be happy that they have four of their five Pro Bowlers signed to long-term deals. The team has invested in the right players so far:
