The Cleveland Browns made it to the playoffs last season with an 11-6 record. Cleveland was a wild card team in the AFC and was the fifth seed in the conference. The Browns lost to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round. Cleveland overachieved last year. Head coach Kevin Stefanski won the Coach of the Year Award for the second time in his Browns coaching tenure. The Cleveland Browns dealt with a lot of injuries last season.
Running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Deshaun Watson were just two of several players who were injured last season for the Cleveland Browns. Imagine if both of those players could get back to full strength for the Browns this year. Cleveland could be one of the best teams in the NFL if they stay fully healthy. The AFC North is going to be a brutal division once again this season, and anyone could win that division.
A lot of players departed this offseason from the Baltimore Ravens. There are also major questions about Joe Burrow’s health on the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers might be the worst team in the AFC North.
The Cleveland Browns will have high expectations this season. Some fans think they can finally win the AFC North division. It remains to be seen what happens, but the Browns will open the first week of the 2024 NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys at home. It will be a big game for both football teams. Cleveland will want to know if they will be legit contenders this year, and Dallas will want to prove that the off-season noise was just a fluke.
Deshaun Watson Is the X-Factor
Pro Football Network’s Anthony DiBona predicted a wild card player for each NFL team entering training camp this season. He thinks the Cleveland Browns’ wild card player for them will be quarterback Deshaun Watson. DiBona said:
“The Cleveland Browns have assembled an impressive roster that reached the playoffs despite several different starting quarterbacks last season. Yet, Deshaun Watson should now be healthy and in a great position following the addition of Jerry Jeudy.
The Browns went 5-1 in Watson’s six starts last season and his availability is a huge wild card for Cleveland in 2024.”
At one point last season, the Cleveland Browns had to sign Joe Flacco off the street. Flacco was a great story and even won Comeback Player of the Year. Cleveland has a much better insurance policy this time if Watson does not stay healthy again this season. The Browns’ backup quarterback this season will be Jameis Winston. He was on the New Orleans Saints roster last year. Winston was the backup quarterback to Derek Carr. In very minimal action last season, he completed 53.2% of his passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Deshaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns last season completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions. The last game that Watson appeared in last year was against the Baltimore Ravens on 11/12. His shoulder has been a major question mark for him. If Watson can get back to his old self like he was with the Houston Texans, it could be scary for the rest of the league.
The Browns will have a very good receiving core this season. Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore will be the wide receivers. David Njoku will be the starting tight end. And Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford will be the running backs. The Cleveland Browns also have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
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