Browns duo part of ESPN’s 99 people to shape the 2017 season
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns are making some positive moves this offseason, and a pair of them could help shape the storyline of the 2017 NFL season.
The Cleveland Browns have not done much winning in recent years, either during the regular season or the offseason.
But the franchise has undergone a major sea change this offseason on multiple fronts. The 2017 NFL Draft brought in several potential impact players, including Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku, along with the latest contender at quarterback in DeShone Kizer.
Free agency fixed some holes on the offensive line in center JC Tretter and guard Kevin Zeitler, and the Browns inked new deals with guard Joel Bitonio and linebackers Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins.
All that work is starting to draw national attention to the franchise in a positive way, which is a nice change from reason offseasons dominated by water bottle incidents and domestic violence allegations.
The positive vibes coming out of Berea extend to ESPN, where Dan Graziano put together a list of 99 people who will shape the upcoming NFL season. Included on the list are defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Garrett, the No. 1 overall selection in the draft.
Williams is listed as someone who will help change the culture of the team:
"The remaking of the Browns is in full swing, and their new coordinator won’t go easy on the young guys around whom they’re building. Between Williams and head coach Hue Jackson, no one will question the intensity of the Cleveland coaching staff."
Garrett, unsurprisingly, falls in the category of defensive rookie of the year candidates:
"Big things will be expected of Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick, and if he can deliver a Joey Bosa-style rookie campaign, the Dawg Pound will have found love at first sight."
It is interesting that both of Cleveland’s representatives come from the defensive side of the ball. The defense was horrific last season under defensive coordinator Ray Horton – which was easy enough to predict if you were paying attention – as the unit finished at or near the bottom in every statistical category imaginable.
If nothing else, Williams will bring an attitude change to the defense, which should endear him to Browns fans. Whether or not that results in a better product on the field remains to be seen, but for a unit that will have more than its share of young players in the lineup, he might be just what the Browns need, veteran cornerback Joe Haden told the team’s website:
"“When we got Gregg in, that was a big thing for our defense. Just with us having a young defense like that, we need somebody that can be able to keep people accountable, keep everybody accountable. At the end of the day. I feel confident and we’re moving in the right direction.”"
It is easy enough to be optimistic as a Browns fan at this time of year. No one is injured, the quarterbacks haven’t been exposed, and the team has not lost a game for months.
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There will be plenty of time for reality in the coming months, however. For now, the fact that the Browns have a chance to make a positive impact on the NFL this fall is a nice change of pace, and one that Browns fans should be happy to embrace.