With just one week to go in the 2016 regular season, the Cleveland Browns won a game, beating the then San Diego Chargers 20-17 at home to avoid an 0-16 season. It was an emotional victory for the Browns, who obviously didn’t have plans (or the roster) for a winning season, but didn’t want to match the 2008 Detroit Lions as the worst team in professional football history.
And good for them, they didn’t. They did end up with the first round pick and thanks to a shit-ton of salary cap money, had plenty of presidents to entice free agents to come play in the post-apocalyptic Clevelandic Hellscape.
Did they make their team better? Hell, they had to.
Free Agents/Players Gained
Brock Osweiler, Quarterback, acquired via trade with the Houston Texans
Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams
Marcus Martin, Center, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
J.C. Tretter, Center, formerly of the Green Bay Packers
Kevin Zeitler, Center, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals
Jason McCourty, Cornerback, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
Free Agents Lost
Josh McCown, Quarterback, signed with the New York Jets
Terrelle Pryor, Wide Receiver, signed with the Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, currently a free agent
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Myles Garrett, Defensive End, Texas A&M
Round 1: Jabril Peppers, Safety, Michigan
Round 1: David Njoku, Tight End, Miami
Round 2: DeShone Kizer, Quarterback, Notre Dame
Round 3: Larry Ogunjobi, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina – Charlotte
Round 4: Howard Wilson, Cornerback, Houston
Round 5: Roderick Johnson, Offensive Tackle, Florida State
Round 6: Caleb Brantley, Defensive Tackle, Florida
Round 7: Zane Gonzalez, Kicker, Arizona State
Round 7: Matt Dayes, Running Back, N.C. State
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Brock Osweiler
RB: Isaiah Crowell
WR: Corey Coleman
WR: Kenny Britt
WR: Ricardo Louis
TE: David Njoku
LT: Joe Thomas
RT: Shon Coleman
LG: Joel Bitonio
RG: Kevin Zeitler
C: J.C. Tretter
Offensive Outlook
When the Browns accepted the trade for Brock Osweiler in the offseason, I ignored all the talk about Cleveland cutting the former Broncos starter. There was no way once Hue Jackson got Osweiler on the practice field he wasn’t going to want to keep him. Especially since the Browns had to eat his salary anyway. Osweiler was a good quarterback in Denver and I think a lot of the blame for his downfall in Houston goes to his head coach, Bill O’Brien. With the fresh start. Osweiler could really find a forever home in Cleveland.
Up front, the Browns made a concerted effort to beef up their line signing Zeitler and Tretter. They now have one of the better fronts in the division and a solid running back, Isaiah Crowell, running behind them. Crowell is a solid runner and a potential 1,000 yard back if he’s got the right support.
Kenny Britt is probably a slight upgrade over the departed Terelle Pryor just because of his experience at the position. Britt is coming off a career year in the horrible Rob Boras-led Los Angeles Rams offense, so don’t be shocked to see his numbers go up. Corey Coleman needs a significant jump in productivity this season. David NJoku should be an immediate star and offensive weapon.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Myles Garrett
DE: Emmanuel Ogbah
DT: Danny Shelton
OLB: Jamie Collins
OLB: Joe Schobert
ILB: Dominique Alexander
ILB: Christian Kirksey
CB: Joe Haden
CB: Jason McCourty
FS: Ed Reynolds
SS: Jabril Peppers
Defensive Outlook
With just a handful of additions this defensive group is a significantly improved unit. Adding in No. 1 pick Myles Garrett to a front that was already decent at pressuring the quarterback might pay dividends early. Ogbah had six sacks last season himself.
Don’t be surprised to see a lot of shake ups in the linebacker corps before the season starts. Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey are stars. Hell, Collins is a super star, but Schobert and Alexander are just placeholders at their respective spots.
If Joe Haden can stay healthy, this should be a solid defensive backfield. Jabril Peppers should slide right into the strong safety position as a day one starter. I’ve always liked Ed Reynolds since he came out of Stanford. This will be his third season and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him make the leap to legit NFL starter. Jason McCourty is a significant upgrade opposite Haden, but there’s no real depth and no nickle corner that makes you feel safe.
Grade: A-
The Browns got significantly better this offseason, not only in the draft and free agency, but by letting their massive cap space work for them in acquiring a potential franchise quarterback. This is still a team with plenty of holes and the depth of a CFL franchise, but they improved. There’s still a long way to go.
O/U wins: 4.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: New Orleans Saints
Week 2: New York Giants
Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 4: at Chicago Bears
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals
Week 5: New York Jets
Key game: After waiting until Christmas to get their first win of the 2016 season, maybe the Browns will want to start off a little quicker. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Browns be competitive in the first month of the season, but that’s a murderer’s row of opponents and three of them from the division. This will be the first break, the tanking Jets at home.
Week 6: at Houston Texans
Key game: Back to back wins for the Browns? It’s possible. The Texans are rolling with Tom Savage at QB and, but Week 6, might still be pretending they’re not handing the keys to Deshaun Watson before season’s end. Osweiler might have something to prove in this game too.
Week 7: Tennessee Titans
Week 8: Minnesota Vikings
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: at Detroit Lions
Week 11: Jacksonville Jaguars
Key game: The Jaguars should be significantly better this season, but this remains a battle of the NFL’s little brothers. The Browns get the Jags at home and that could make all the difference.
Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 13: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 14: Green Bay Packers
Week 15: Baltimore Ravens
Week 16: at Chicago Bears
Week 17: at Pittsburgh Steelers
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