Are Browns Super Bowl Contenders or Pretenders?
The Cleveland Browns are a long-suffering franchise. They are one of only four teams that have never even been to the Super Bowl along with the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns have been in existence since 1944, long before the Super Bowl began, but have come up short multiple times. Three times in their history, they’ve been one game away. All three times, they lost to the Broncos including the game that gave us “the Drive” in 1987.
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No wonder Cleveland hates the Broncos.
Last season, the Browns had the No. 1 defense in the NFL and the Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. Their defense was so good that they dragged five quarterbacks to an 11-win season and a Wild Card playoff berth.
The Browns defense didn’t show up and the Houston Texans showed them the door with a 45-14 whooping.
Let’s take a look at that for a moment. Rookie C.J. Stroud played out of his mind all season last year en route to the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The defense played poorly, and Joe Flacco came off his couch to play quarterback. This was hardly a team that was going to excel in the playoffs.
Flash forward to present-day Cleveland. General manager Andrew Berry has built one of the best rosters in the NFL. This team is overflowing with talent at seemingly every position, and the Browns have made the playoffs two out of the last four years, something they haven’t done since the late 80’s.
The Browns have a returning Deshaun Watson who is fully healthy for the first time since coming over from the Texans in 2022. Nick Chubb hasn’t ruled out being ready for Week 1, but if he isn’t, we would bet Week 3 at the latest based on reports of his recovery and rehab.
The offensive line is fully intact after Dawand Jones, Jack Conlin and Joel Bitonio returned from injuries a season ago.
So, let’s get to the question of the day. Are the Cleveland Browns contenders or pretenders?
The Browns play in the toughest division in football. They have to contend with a trio of teams that have all upgraded and reloaded for this year. The Cincinnati Bengals have Joe Burrow returning this year. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson to lead their team, and the Ravens added four-time All-Pro running back Derek Henry to their backfield.
Just getting out of the AFC North is going to be tough, but if this defense remains consistent, they can definitely make the playoffs and make some noise.
The only thing that separates Cleveland from a playoff team and a Super Bowl contender is Watson. Is he average or is he the Watson we saw down in Houston?
If we get the MVP candidate Watson, the Browns would be serious contenders not only to go to the Super Bowl, but win it. If we get the below-average, indecisive, slow and lethargic Watson we’ve seen in 12 games since he arrived in Cleveland, they are likely a one and done team.
We believe this team can be a true contender this season, but will say pretender for now. We will circle back once we see more from Watson in training camp and the preseason.