Cleveland Browns: Reasonable expectations for 2016
There is a great deal of excitement and optimism surrounding the Cleveland Browns as the team prepares for the 2016 NFL season.
The admission that one cheers for the Cleveland Browns often draws responses of sympathy, confused looks or even laughter.
It is no secret the team has performed poorly since returning to the NFL in 1999, but the fans have remained as vocal and visible as ever.
After a disastrous 2015, when the team finished 3-13, 2016 seems to be the beginning of a new era. Call it wishful thinking or foolish optimism, but Hue Jackson seems to be the man to lead this team for years to come.
He actually has experience as a head coach in the NFL, and has been coaching football since he was a graduate assistant at Pacific in 1987. His most recent gig with the Cincinnati Bengals saw him help Andy Dalton develop into of the better quarterbacks in the league, which is a skill Browns fans are praying to see with Jackson and Robert Griffin III or whoever is the starting quarterback in Cleveland.
But even with all the excitement surrounding the new group in town, fans must not expect too much in 2016. This is still an inexperienced team, evident by the fact the team just drafted 14 rookies.
The offense is expected to be led by a player who was pushed out of town by the team that drafted him, and who is looking to jumpstart his career. It is very possible that Griffin can surprise Browns fans in 2016, but he is still more of a work in progress than a sure thing as the starter.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
Then there is the fact that most of the reliable veteran players from last season are no longer with the team, with the reasons ranging from being released to the front office not giving the player an offer in free agency.
The positive part of this is that the front office has committed to a complete rebuild, which makes sense given the way the team has performed since 1999, when no foundation was established.
The problem with a rebuild is that success on the field may be several years away. Fans will be subject to watching young players make countless mistakes this season, with the benefit being that the players will learn from these mistakes and be better moving forward.
2016 is looking like another disappointing season in terms of the team’s record, but the progress seen on the field throughout the season should be enough to keep fans engaged.