Cleveland Browns Depth Chart 2020 Cleveland Browns Depth Chart

Preseason Analysis: Playoff Aspirations

Adding Odell Beckham Jr.

This offseason, the Browns pulled off one of the biggest trades in acquiring New York Giants’ face of the franchise, Odell Beckham Jr. It’ll immediately give Cleveland a great receiving duo in OBJ and Jarvis Landry and makes them a legitimate contender. It’s not every day you can trade for one of the league’s top wideouts and for the price they got him for, it’s even better. The Browns will enjoy having Beckham Jr. for at least the next few years and it’ll immediately make them a better team offensively.

Last season, OBJ was great for the Giants despite playing in just 12 games. He went for 1,052 receiving yards and 6 TDs. In his past four seasons as a pro, he’s been great at averaging well over 1,300 yards except for his injury shortened 2017 season. Coming off what’s considered back-to-back down years, there’s no doubt OBJ will feel rejuvenated in this new offense and will likely be the top target for Baker Mayfield. With more weapons around him on the offense, OBJ will no doubt get a few more open looks and continue causing havoc for opposing defenses. 

Year 2 for Baker Mayfield

The first overall pick in last year’s draft did everything the Browns could have hoped for and more. Despite only going 6-7 in his starts, there’s nothing not to love about Mayfield. He brings a vibe to the offense that hasn’t been seen in years and his energy is infectious to the rest of the team. He’s a major catalyst for the Cleveland movement as they look to have finally found their future franchise QB after many, many misses. While it’s possible there will be some regression in his game, Mayfield remains an elite option and could elevate his status from sophomore starter to borderline star in his second campaign.

In his rookie season, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards and added 131 through the ground. While he’s not quite the dual-threat QB that some of his fellow rookies are, he was fairly accurate through the air, completing 63.8% of his passes. However, the 14 interceptions certainly needs some work as the Browns will be heavily reliant on their offense to win them ball games. There’s a lot to look forward to in his second year and if everything looks right, 2017 was the draft that would change Browns’ history forever.

Improving the defensive line

In their second trade this offseason, the Browns decided to once again talk with the Giants. This time, they landed Olivier Vernon for Kevin Zeitzer. This gives them another edge rusher that will pair well with Myles Garrett and make Cleveland has one of the better combos off the edges. While Zeitler was a great offensive lineman, second year guard Austin Corbett will likely be the fill-in for his spot next year. 

The move gives the Brown a very solid defensive line and the combo of Vernon and Garrett will likely play a big role in improving their defense. Vernon brings great veteran presence to the Browns and is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance last year. He was great with 7 sacks last year and 30 tackles last year and will look to improve on those numbers this year. Vernon will likely play a leadership role on the younger team and may even pay dividends as a mentor to Garrett.