Cleveland Browns Roster 2019 Browns Roster

The Most Interesting Roster in Sports: 2019 Cleveland Browns

Is this the Team with the Most Weapons in the League?

Chemistry is an underrated part of a team, and without it, the talent of a team becomes irrelevant. With that being said, this Browns roster, particularly on offense, is stacked. There are some questions about their offensive line (more on that later) but at the skill positions, there may not be a better team in the league. At receiver, the Browns have superstar Odell Beckham Jr. on one side of the field and his best friend, pro bowl receiver Jarvis Landry on the other. It feels like overkill to have promising young receiver Antonio Callaway as the WR3 on this team. The Browns also have one of the more impressive young tight ends in the game at David Njoku, who will look to build off a strong sophomore season where he had over 600 yards receiving. At running back, they just added Kareem Hunt to a position that already had Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson Jr. Hunt may have character issues and will have to serve an 8-game suspension for his actions last year, but his talent is undeniable. Chubb and Johnson Jr. are both players proved themselves worthy of big roles last season, so having them as a RB2 and RB3 is almost unfair.

Can the Cleveland Defense Take the Next Step?

While the Cleveland defense wasn’t downright awful last season, it was still below average, ranking 21st in points allowed. They’ve made some changes defensively, trading away promising safety Jabrill Peppers but acquiring defensive end Oliver Vernon and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Losing Peppers hurts their secondary, but Richardson and Vernon bring a veteran presence to the defensive line that was missing before. The Browns have a new defensive coordinator this year, so that also throws a new wrinkle in the Brown's defense. They do have some big pieces defensively, most notably cornerback Denzel Ward and defensive end Myles Garrett, who will look to build off strong rookie and sophomore season respectively. A lot of the focus is on the Browns offense, but how the Browns defense fares will be an equally important factor in Cleveland's performance this season.

Will the Browns Offensive Line Hold Them Back?

The Browns offensive line has undergone some pretty seismic changes in the past couple season. First was the retirement of franchise mainstay Joe Thomas at the end of the 2017 season, then was the trading of right guard Kevin Zeitler, who performed admirably last year. The Browns offensive line appears to be in flux, with Zeitler’s replacement in particular being a big headline at training camp. The Browns do at least have pro bowl left guard Joel Bitonio, who will ensure the Browns offensive line has a certain floor. There are concerns at seemingly every other position, however. Although Greg Robinson looked solid at left tackle for the Browns last year, there’s a reason he’s considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Right tackle Chris Hubbard was very inconsistent in his debut season last year and although center J.C. Tretter played well, he battled ankle issues last season so health may be a factor for him. The Browns enter this season with hope and promise, but the offensive line could wind up holding the team back if things go south.