Cleveland Browns: AFC North offseason winners according to NFL.com
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns may have flipped the script according to Tom Blair of NFL.com who looks at the moves they made in the 2018 NFL Offseason
The Cleveland Browns surely made more noise than any other AFC North team during the offseason. That makes it less-than-shocking that Tom Blair of NFL.com was high on them in his recent look at AFC North teams following free agency.
Blair of course highlighted the addition of Tyrod Taylor as the biggest move. The Browns added the quarterback via trade and he should go a long way towards stabilizing a stagnant offense.
That wasn’t the only move that Cleveland benefited from in Blair’s piece. He considered the biggest loss by any of the four teams in the division to be Pittsburgh parting way with offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
"“Haley’s exit from Pittsburgh ends a partnership with Ben Roethlisberger that was as productive as it was tense. In Haley’s six years running the offense (2012-17), Roethlisberger averaged 4,081 passing yards and 27 touchdowns a year, up significantly from his pre-Haley career numbers (3,322 yards and 21 TDs per year). He also was among the NFL’s most productive quarterbacks in that six-year span, putting up more passing yards per game (284.7) than anyone but Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan.” — Blair, NFL.com"
This is great for Cleveland, because they’re the franchise that secured Haley’s services after he left the Steel City.
Haley has a knack for wearing on players, but his track record speaks for itself. Everywhere he goes, his offenses are high-powered and he got more out of Big Ben than anyone else had. Now the Browns have to hope he can do the same for them in 2018.
Next: Browns draft profile: Billy Price
It’s exciting for Browns fans to see so much positivity in regards to their offseason additions. Just think of how much better it will feel if they hit on the No. 1 and No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft.