Cleveland Browns: 5 obstacles to success in 2018

Joel W. Cade

(Photo by Jason Miller /Getty Images)

The Cleveland Browns have made tremendous progress this offseason. But it needs to translate into wins. Here are five obstacles to success next season.

The Cleveland Browns have won the off season. But can they win a game in-season?

Winning the offseason does not seem to be a problem for the Browns. It seems every year the Browns hire the right coach or general manager. The team signs some key free agents. They add significant talent to the team through the draft.

Every off-season is touted as the off-season that they finally get things turned around. Winning the offseason is an annual event for the Browns.

For as good as the offseason is, the in-season performance is proportionately as bad. A 1-31 record over the past two season demonstrates just how dismal the in-season performance has been.

There seems to be no coherent or consistent offensive game plan. The running game disappears at times. The high draft picks are off the radar — some even lineup so far off the ball you need a radar system to detect them.

To avoid falling into the same never ending cycle of winning the offseason then losing in-season, the Browns need to prepare for the obstacles and landmines that may sabotage their season.

A further complication to avoiding these pitfalls is the fact that HBO’s Hard Knocks will be following them around this training camp. Although this is exciting for the fans, a potential distraction could be exactly what this team needs to avoid.

First, the Browns need to figure out how to replace a legend.

BEREA, OH – MAY 17: Cleveland Browns draft pick Joel Bitonio #75 works out during the Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp on May 17, 2014 at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)

Solidify Left Tackle

Left tackle has usually been a position of strength for the Browns. Joe Thomas has played Hall of Fame caliber left tackle for 11 seasons. His retirement hurts the Browns in a lot of ways.

He was the leader of the offensive line room. One of the remaining veterans will need to step up to lead the group. The logical person for that role would be left guard Joel Bitonio. He is the longest tenured Brown.

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Kevin Zeitler and J.C. Tretter have more NFL experience, but Bitonio has been through the wars in Cleveland. That leadership will be needed to help further along the career of Shon Coleman and newly drafted Austin Corbett.

Speaking of Coleman and Corbett, the Browns need to figure out who will be starting at left tackle on Sundays. It would be best if they could decide this early letting that person take all the first team repetitions in training camp this fall.

Splitting time between them or anyone else will not allow the starter to gel with his teammates which will lead to errors on the field. More than any position group, the offensive line needs settled early to build a cohesive unit.

The Browns need to resolve any issues around the starter at left tackle early in camp. They also need to identify a leader in the offensive line room. Failing to tackle this obstacle could create a lot of headaches on Sunday’s for Browns quarterbacks.

Second, the Browns need to address depth on defense

Do the Browns have enough depth on defense?

Defensive end has been a position the Browns have invested heavily in the past three years. Emmanuel Ogbah was the No. 32 pick in the 2016 draft. Had the New England Patriots not lost their first round pick to Deflategate, the pick would have been a first round pick.

In 2017, the Browns took Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick. The play of these two players have given Browns fans hope for the future. Per ESPN staff writer Pat McManamon:

"“Collins, Ogbah and Garrett were on the field together for only five minutes in 2017, but caused havoc in those five minutes.” — McManamon, ESPN"

The Browns saw five minutes of the defense they were trying to build. Although this says a lot about what this team could look like when finally healthy and playing together, it also speaks volumes about the need to have depth on the defensive side of the ball.

If players begin getting hurt again, the defense could have problems. The rebuilding movement for the Browns have landed them an extremely amount of young talent. The problem with young talent is that it needs time to grow. It also need the proper amount of nourishment from veterans and coaches alike.

The core of this defense is starting to come together. But when the depth on the team is comprised of mainly first and second year players, injuries become a major issue.

To this end the Browns have signed Chris Smith and retained Carl Nassib. There are plenty of other positions where depth is a concern like free safety and linebacker even with the signing of Mychal Kendricks. The depth on defense could be an obstacle the Browns must overcome should players get injured again.

Third, the offensive scheme could be an obstacle

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 03: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on in the first half against the Carolina Panthers during the game at Heinz Field on September 3, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Will the new offensive scheme be still born?

The offensive play calling was a major concern last season. Head coach and play caller Hue Jackson did not commit to running the ball. Once the team got down by more than seven points, he called the NFL equivalent of the Air Raid offense. Call pass plays almost non-stop. It was awful and predictable. Defenses simply pinned their ears back and went head hunting.

Worse, Jackson’s play calling often failed to put players in a position to succeed. He seemed to have a system in which he was trying to make his players fit. Forcing rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer to run an offense that did not fit his skill set.

This year the Browns hired a full time offensive coordinator in Todd Haley. Haley’s offense in Pittsburgh was defined by a heavy dose of running the ball with play action passes. He did a great job of putting his players in a position to succeed.

The real question is will Hue allow Todd Haley to run his offense. Yes, the Browns are installing Haley’s playbook and learning the plays. They are adapting to a new system that should allow for better run and pass balance.

But will Hue Jackson allow Todd Haley to truly run his offense? Or will Jackson panic when down by more than seven and try to take over for Haley. It would be disastrous for Jackson to veto Haley.

The Browns need to commit to running the ball to take the pressure off the quarterback. This is particularly true given the questions at left tackle described above.

It is imperative for the Browns to commit to Haley’s system and for Jackson to let the game play out even when playing from behind.

Fourth, safety play needs to improve.

How will the safeties develop?

Browns fans remember defensive coordinator Gregg Williams lining up his free safeties thirty yards off the ball. Part of the problem was a lack of a true free safety on the roster. Instead of playing a normal free safety in this role, Williams played then newly drafted strong safety Jabril Peppers there.

If the Browns will be successful next year, they will need to develop two starting safeties. This off season the Browns traded for former first round pick Damarious Randall. Randall was a free safety in college, but when he joined the Green Bay Packers, they immediately began playing him a cornerback due to his athleticism and urgent need at the position.

How quickly will wide receiver roles be defined?

The Browns were aggressive this off season. The biggest acquisition, and possibly the most controversial, was Jarvis Landry. One would think that acquiring a Pro-Bowl receiver like Landry would be met with universal praise. But there were some fans who did not like the trade or the subsequent signing of Landry.

The question was over what exactly his skill set was and what his role will be. Landry primarily played slot receiver for the Miami Dolphins. The case against Landry is that he will makes catches then get tackled just before the first down marker. This essentially made him a check down option that defenses were willing to give to get the offense off the field.

But Landry is roughly the same size as Antonio Brown. From interviews and press conferences one can glean that Landry is being primed to play that Antonio Brown role for the Browns. But does his skill set allow him to play that role?

Can Landry be more than a possession slot receiver? Some argue that he was in that position because that was all he could be. The Browns are gambling that Landry was not used properly and can be a major weapon when given the ball in space.

If Landry can play a No. 1 wide receiver role, then where does that leave the likes of Josh Gordon and others? If Landry proves he really is a possession slot receiver, then the Browns will have a lot of re-arranging to do with wide receiver roles mid-season.

Next: Looking at the QB situation

These obstacles will be on display come the 2018 season. With a little luck all these issues will fall in the Browns favor and the team will excel. But how these issues play out will determine how the season flows for the Browns.

Joel W. Cade

I offer intelligent opinions offensive and defensive line play. I see things in a different way than everyone else, but I always have a good reason why.