The Simple Beauty of the 2018 Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns had little to no expectations coming into 2018. Now, with the team legitimately in the playoff hunt, the post-1999 Dawg Pound is rocking like never before. And really, there’s something beautiful about that.

Going 0-16 is really hard. Going 1-31 over a two-year span is even harder. But, the Cleveland Browns have never been about doing things the easy way. The “Old Browns” of their 1960s golden days were built on a rough rushing style that ran roughshod throughout the league.

For the past 20 years, the Browns have been the laughing stock of the league. They’ve been the doormat of the AFC North, with little to no expectations every year. But, in the words of Malcolm in the Middle‘s Dewey Wilkerson, “I expect nothing and I’m still let down.”

When Hue Jackson came into the fold in Cleveland in 2016, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said himself that the team would be bad. The Browns were probably going to be picking high in the NFL Draft, and it was going to take that year to get the operation off the ground. The Browns achieved a 1-15 record in their first year with Jackson at the helm.

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

Another year with Hue Jackson at the forefront of things, now partnered with Gregg Williams, and the Browns were supposed to be better. They had added more talent to the roster and were better on paper in a big way. And then, as if to hit an even worse area of rock bottom, the Browns finished as the second-ever NFL team to go 0-16.

Fast forward yet another year, and the Browns have been totally face-lifted under general manager John Dorsey. With 31 new players, Cleveland was ready to actually get some wins this season. Hotshot rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield was now with the team, and things were going to be different.

And then…they really weren’t. For as much as things changed, they very much stayed the same. The team was 2-5-1 through eight games and looking towards yet another lost season. Baker Mayfield looked good, but not great with a, 8-6 TD-INT ratio through eight games, six of which he appeared in. But then, something seemingly miraculous happened.

It may have been, and probably was, the firing of head coach Hue Jackson and offensive Todd Haley. In their places were now defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and running backs coach Freddie Kitchens. And then…something just clicked.

Browns fans love their football more than they love pretty much anything else, really. Ask Browns fans, ask other NFL fans, ask the Fandom 250, ask whoever you want. Browns fans are dedicated, and loyal to their team to the core, but they’ve had nothing to show for it for two decades. Well, until now.

Since Week 9, the Browns have shifted from a two-win squad with a rookie that might turn into something, to a group of head-turners led by an electrifying group of rookie playmakers. Freddie Kitchens has taken the offense and unlocked Baker Mayfield’s incredible talents. Nick Chubb is a power-runner like the Browns haven’t seen in years.

On the defensive side of the ball, Denzel Ward is good and only getting better. Genard Avery is a nice piece and putting him next to Myles Garrett, an elite pass-rusher coming into his own, is only going to make him better. And the best part? This young core is just that; young.

The four main pieces of the Browns (Mayfield, Chubb, Ward, Garrett) are all 23 years old, or younger. This core is going to grow up together, and their full potential hasn’t even been reached or even imagined yet. The Browns have little to no expectations for at least the next year, and that’s the beauty of this team.

The beauty of the 2018 Cleveland Browns is that it’s just a bunch of kids coming into the league and figuring everything out together. There are no expectations, there is no pressure, playoffs aren’t a sure thing, nor should they be.

So please, Browns fans, realize the simple beauty here: the Cleveland Browns are, finally, a good football team. They are no longer the laughing stock of the NFL, nor should they be. And hey, they might even win a division title and make the playoffs next year! And if they don’t, there will be plenty of other chances with this core of young players. So, enjoy the ride. The wait is over, and it was worth it.