After investing a ton of money into their defensive line and adding a plethora of playmakers offensively, the Cleveland Browns are primed to be a competitive football team once again. After two straight losing seasons, head coach Kevin Stefanski and company desperately need to get back into the playoffs.
And Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today thinks the Browns have a pretty decent chance to go from worst to first in the AFC North. Middlehurst-Schwartz gave both the case for and the case against the Browns to go from worst to first.
Here is what Middlehurst-Schwartz had to say.
The case for:
“Few others on this list can claim the kind of difference-maker Cleveland has in Deshaun Watson. Yes, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback was alarmingly off in his return after serving an 11-game ban for his personal conduct violation stemming from sexual assault allegations, as he posted career lows in passer rating (79.1) and completion percentage (58.2%). But Watson said in May that his confidence level has returned, and another offseason with the franchise could help him get back on track for his first full season as a starter since 2020. The offense has the talent and stability to be one of the league’s more productive units after years of pedestrian to subpar outputs, and the defense should be invigorated by coordinator Jim Schwartz simplifying things for Myles Garrett and Co.”
The case against:
“At this point, Watson’s performance last season can’t be completely written off as an aberration. If the Browns don’t get elite quarterback play from Watson after going all in for him last March, there’s no real springboard for this team to put itself in the same tier with Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.”
