Cleveland Browns open at No. 28 in NFL Spin Zone power rankings

The Cleveland Browns are out of the basement of the NFL, but still have a long way to go before being considered a true contender.

The Cleveland Browns may still be making some last-minute roster moves, but the core of the team has fans excited for the 2017 season.

This is nothing new, as even though things looked grim in 2016, there was still that pre-Week 1 excitement.

There are also some legitimate reasons to be optimistic this year, as the Browns have improved all over the field, with a lot of the improvement being acquired through the NFL Draft.

Players like Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku have fans hoping for greatness, although much of the team’s success will fall upon the shoulders of DeShone Kizer and how he performs.

This excitement is reflected a bit in NFL Spin Zone’s latest NFL power rankings, where the Browns come in at No. 28 overall.

From the article:

"For once, the Cleveland Browns finally seem to be moving in the right direction thanks to all of the key moves made during the offseason through free agency and the NFL Draft. Even if the team experiences a few growing pains at times, it’s nice to finally see some excitement surrounding the Browns heading into a new season, and all eyes will be on rookie DeShone Kizer under center in Week 1."

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It is true that the Browns actually seem to be making positive strides forward. The front office is finally sticking to a logical plan and not overpaying for veterans or trading draft picks for shaky players.

You won’t see any Dwayne Bowe types be signed by Sashi Brown, no matter how many texts Ray Farmer sends to anyone who will listen.

My only hope is that this No. 28 overall ranking will only be the launching point for this team. It is nice to head into the season out of the basement of the rankings, but the Browns are still projected to be bad.

Expecting a big win in Week 1 may not be rational, but that doesn’t mean the Browns can’t surprise us all and actually make this season a watchable one.

Next: Osweiler's odd time in Cleveland

But even if the team stinks, at least they aren’t the New York Jets. Poor, poor Josh McCown.