Cleveland Browns Team Stats None Cleveland Browns Stats

If the Defense Holds Up, Cleveland May Score Some Wins

Can Odell Beckham Jr. give the Browns offense the big weapon it needs?

Antonio Brown wasn’t the only big name receiver who changed teams this offseason. The New York Giants shipped their franchise receiver to Cleveland to give quarterback Baker Mayfield a big threat in the passing game. Jarvis Landry had a fairly solid campaign in his first year away from the Miami Dolphins but this is a scenario where the rich get richer. OBJ gives Mayfield an elite WR1 and will be a great veteran leader for the second year signal caller.

While the Browns did have to give up their first and third round picks along with Jabrill Peppers, you simply can’t find a superstar wide receiver on the trading block every day. In a shortened year, OBJ was good for 1,052 yards and 6 TDs. That’ll pair perfectly with Landry who was good for 976 yards and 4 TDs in 2018. This will certainly be one of the best offenses Cleveland has had in a very long time and they’ll look to do great things in the passing game.

Do the Browns have the best defensive line in the NFL?

The first overall pick in the 2017 draft, Myles Garrett was terrific last year. He racked up 13.5 sacks and was good for 44 tackales. His only other help was from Larry Ogunjubi who accumulated 5.5 sacks and 52 tackles in his own right. However, they weren’t able to receive help from the rest of the defensive line. That’ll surely change this year as Cleveland brought in Sheldon Richardson and Oliver Vernon to make up one of the most impressive lines in the league.

The Browns gave up 135.2 rushing yards each game and Richardson was brought in to pair alongside Ogunjubi to clog up the middle lanes. The longtime Jet finished with 4.5 sacks and 49 tackles and figures to make a great duo at the DT position. Another trade was made with the Giants for the services of Vernon. He’ll line up opposite of Garrett after collecting 7 sacks and 30 tackles in 2018. The Pro Bowler will form the final piece of a highly talented defensive line that has the potential to get 30+ sacks this year.

Without a first round pick, how did the Browns do in the NFL Draft?

The Browns lost their first round pick in this year’s draft with the OBJ trade with the Giants. Thus, they had to patiently sit and watch talented players get taken before them before moving up for a pick in the 2nd round. The 46th pick originally belonged to the Indianapolis Colts but GM John Dorsey decided to move up to that spot to get his guy. That picked ended up being cornerback Greedy Williams.

Widely considered a first round talent, Williams slipped to the 2nd round and Dorsey didn’t hesitate to move up for what could be the starting right cornerback for Cleveland in 2019. While safety should’ve been the main concern for the Browns, you can’t have a problem with drafting what many considered to be the top corner in the draft. While the linebacking core may not be as talented as desired, there’s certainly a lot of talented players in the secondary that will help the Browns be a competitive team on both sides of the ball.