Count ESPN’s Bill Barnwell among those who are gulping the orange and brown Kool-aid. In his listing of the top offensive arsenals for 2019, Barnwell slots the Browns at No. 3.
The qualifiers for what factors into the offensive arsenal are important. It ignores contract value and focuses solely on the running backs and receivers (including TEs), and favors top-end talent over strong depth.
Barnwell does these rankings every year, and the Browns ascent up the rankings is staggering. Two years ago they ranked 30th and last year’s preseason rank was 13th.
Adding Odell Beckham Jr. is a major trump card, but the Pro Bowl wideout is far from the only premium weapon at Mayfield’s disposal. Nick Chubb emerged as an (almost) 1,000-yard rusher in a half-season of work as a rookie RB. Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Rashard Higgins and even Antonio Callaway have all shown they can be just as dangerous as Mayfield feels.
The Browns trail just the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, each of which played deep into the playoffs last season.
