After their success of 2020, the Cleveland Browns hype is in full swing. They have enjoyed a lot of praise from all over the NFL and fans of the sport in general. But with that high praise comes high expectations and the inevitable question of whether they’re being overhyped. 2021 will be a year full of challenges and the Browns know they can’t be complacent.
Cleveland Browns Must Live Up to the Hype in 2021
The Browns will never be complacent, that is a sure thing. The team has come too far and faced too much adversity over the years to ever be overconfident. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has always made it clear he will never stop reminding his team that they are here to win.
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The Offseason Moves Could Make a Big Difference
The Browns landed some great talent in free agency and got maximum value from each of their picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Together with who they already have, analysts like Terry Pluto feel the Browns have one of the best rosters in the league in 2021. This is more reason for the team to work harder. Their reputation is no longer one of failure, but of grit and the ability to come together in their separate units, making the entire team stand out among their biggest competitors.
They Are Not the Best in the AFC but They’re Close
The Kansas City Chiefs are still the team to beat, having been to the Super Bowl two consecutive seasons and winning in 2019. According to Randy Gurzi of Dawg Pound Daily, “they are the gold standard that Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski are chasing.”
With that in mind, being able to win against them would be a phenomenal thing. That will always be something to strive for. They already proved they could beat their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, twice. They walked away with wins against some of the best teams in the league. Should they ever defeat Kansas City, that would boost the Browns into the stratosphere of greatness. They will kick off the season at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 1 of the 2021 season, so the pressure will be on early.
The Offense Is Close To Perfect
In 2020, the offense was spectacular. Baker Mayfield played with accuracy; Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones were unexpected contributors to the team’s success. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt became one of the most threatening running back tandems in the league. There isn’t much to change. Wyatt Teller summed it up to Anthony Poisal of clevelandbrowns.com, “We have 11 guys on offense returning, which is insane — I’ve never heard of that.”
Continuity in an offense is rare in the NFL. If the Browns capitalize on this continuity, it could lead to another appearance in the playoffs. Perhaps they could go even further than they did in 2020.
There are already 11 quality starters on the offense, plus the return of Odell Beckham Jr. Rookies Anthony Schwartz and James Hudson add more depth, and Chris Hubbard will likely return from injury and be the versatile guard/tackle that every team needs. With so many people considering this roster as one of the most talented, one could be forgiven for thinking the team is overhyped. The Browns have monumental expectations to live up to but will be determined to prove the hype is justified.
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