Forget the Cleveland Browns past. The future is now. The fact is, every team is 0-0 and it shouldn’t matter how murky a past any of them have. Some might even say successes and failures can be considered irrelevant to the future of each franchise. Here is why the Cleveland Browns 2021 season and the team’s future is bright.
Cleveland Browns 2021 Season and Future Look Bright
Some will argue that the Browns solid 2020 season was a fluke. That eight of their 11 regular-season wins were against teams with losing records. That their Week 17 flogging of the Pittsburgh Steelers was merely against Pittsburgh’s backups. That Cleveland suffered losses against the Baltimore Ravens twice, and they lost their Week 16 game to a weak New York Jets team.
With all those points together, Cleveland’s 2020 season doesn’t seem quite so amazing. But as Mike Clay of ESPN has said, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Browns success was due to an immensely talented and productive offense and a new head coach who knew how to extract every ounce of skill from his players. And with the moves the Browns made this off-season, including the draft, there could be a resurgence from the defense too.
Baker Mayfield and His Supporting Cast
Baker Mayfield isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL. Still, he’s forged a spot for himself in the 10 most effective quarterbacks because of the way he contributed to much of the Browns achievements in 2020. In weeks 8-11, the weather was harrowing. They sacrificed the running game and the team relied more on Mayfield and he delivered. He ranked 11th in QBR and 14th in Pro Football Focus’ grade with only the very best of the league ahead of him.
True, without his astounding support cast, his production may not have been as solid as it was, and he was always humble enough to admit that. But the fact remains that both Mayfield and his supporting cast played well last season.
A Top-Ranking Offensive Line
Cleveland’s offensive line showed up near the top in most objective measures. And all five starters are returning in 2021. First-team all-pro right tackle Jack Conklin ranked in the top 10 in PFF grade and pass block win rate among tackles. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to take on a bigger role in his sophomore season. Center J.C. Tretter ranked top five in PFF grade and left guard Joel Bitonio ranked first in pass block win rate for the position. That unit is likely to dominate again in 2021. Meanwhile, Wyatt Teller went from a barely-noticed fifth-round pick to being PFF’s top guard and voted to the All-Pro second team.
A Deep Receiver Corps
Jarvis Landry is a stalwart and hasn’t finished a season with fewer than 72 receptions and has ranked third since being drafted in 2014. Odell Beckham Jr. suffered injuries and missed a substantial amount of action in recent times, but when healthy he is still one of the best in the league at the position. He proved that last season with 391 yards and four touchdowns in just six games. Rashard Higgins was a reliable replacement for Beckham and the team has much-needed speed from third-round pick Anthony Schwartz.
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More Talent Where It Matters
Cleveland couldn’t ask for more talent and depth at running back. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are both real threats and one of the top running back duos in the NFL. They’re 10th in two-plus running back sets.
Even the tight ends David Njoku, Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant have enough to provide Stefanski with flexibility. They rank second in multiple tight end sets.
Cleveland has retained a lot of its talent from last season and seems to have changed its culture. And that’s looking good for the Cleveland Browns 21021 season and their future.
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