By Bobby Gerome ’21
After a very successful season, the Browns enter the offseason with high hopes. The team surpassed all expectations going into this season, and before getting into what adjustments the team should make, here are a few certainties going into the future:
- The system is finally in place. Kevin Stefanski is the coach for the future, and Andrew Berry is the GM for the future. These two are dominant and will finally create a winning culture in Cleveland. Browns fans will not have to worry about dysfunction for the foreseeable future.
- Baker Mayfield is our franchise QB. In the course of one season, Baker has gone from a questionable NFL QB, to an okay starting QB, to a franchise quarterback who can take a team deep in the playoffs. All he needed was the right system in place, and when he got it, Baker thrived. With no salary cap increase, this is the offseason to sign Baker to a long term contract.
- The rest of the offense is set. The Browns have one of, if not the best O-Lines in the league. Chubb and Hunt create the best running game in the NFL, and Baker has great chemistry with his weapons at wide receiver.
With all of that being said, here is what the Browns have to improve this offseason: DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE!
Seriously, that’s all. Maybe the argument can be made that Cody Parkey can be replaced, but he had an okay season this year. There should be a competition for the kicking job, but other than that, make the defense better.
Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are the two players to build around. They are both top tier players for their positions. When it comes to the D-Line, not many adjustments have to be made. The team will likely lose Olivier Vernon because of the contract he wants, but Adrian Clayborn played solid, and can replace Vernon. Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi are great interior linemen, and many forget that the team has Andrew Billings coming back next season, so Ogunjobi and Richardson do not have to wear themselves out the entire game; the Browns can switch to a five man front against run heavy teams like the Ravens.
The secondary and linebackers are where the work needs to be done. Second round pick Grant Delpit is coming back as safety next year with Greedy Williams, but there are a lot of questions regarding the health of both LSU alumni. Ronnie Harrison has potential to be a top tier safety as well. Above all, there needs to be more depth. Against teams like the Bills and Chiefs, where you have to put six DB’s on the field, this current secondary cannot be trusted. Playing prevent defense and hoping the other offense stalls out in the red zone will work with mediocre teams, but it will not work against Super Bowl contenders. More depth with skill players on defense is on the top of the checklist for the defense.
The other big improvement that needs to be made is with the linebackers. Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki are players to keep, but that’s about it. There are plenty of good linebackers the Browns can pick at 26, and that is what needs to happen. Poor linebacker play is what killed the Browns on Monday Night Football when Lamar Jackson wasn’t having his “cramps”. Mobile quarterbacks and elusive running backs will destroy a team with bad linebackers, and the Browns need to address this issue if they want to contend this season.
The final concern going into the offseason is what to do with OBJ. Kevin Stefanski said that the star wide receiver will stay on the team and give Baker more weapons, but the offense functioned better without him this season. Baker was making more than one read on every throw when OBJ was hurt. Trading Odell would not be detrimental to the offense, because against some of the best teams in the league the Browns were still scoring 35 points a game without Beckham. Trading OBJ also makes sense economically. With Baker, Chubb, and Denzel Ward all having their rookie contracts expiring in the next year, they will all want big extensions. The team cannot afford to keep all of them plus the other players that make the foundation of this team when they have to pay Odell 18 million a year. The option that would work better in the long run is to trade Odell for some high draft picks or proven young defensive players to a team that can afford him.
The Browns took a huge step in the right direction this season. The team showed that they have the potential to go far in the playoffs, and compete with the best teams in the league. If they improve their secondary and linebacker core, the Browns can be Super Bowl contenders. Those are the goals for the offseason. For the regular season, the goal is for the Browns to win the division and host a playoff game. For the postseason, the goal is to get to the AFC championship game, and have a shot at the Super Bowl. The bright future in Cleveland has a lot of success because the Browns is the Browns.
