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Cleveland Browns are starting to be viewed as the AFC North favorites

By Dan Justik

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: Antonio Callaway #11, Rashard Higgins #81 and Damion Ratley #18 of the Cleveland Browns celebrate with fans after a 21-17 win over the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: Antonio Callaway #11, Rashard Higgins #81 and Damion Ratley #18 of the Cleveland Browns celebrate with fans after a 21-17 win over the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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After showing potential last season and the rest of division presumably getting weaker, the Cleveland Browns are starting to be seen as AFC North favorites.

The NFL’s new league year and the off-season have yet to really begin, but the Cleveland Browns are already starting to be viewed as the favorites to win the AFC North in 2019.

During an appearance on NFL Network, former NFL running back Reggie Bush predicted that the Browns will win the AFC North, saying that Cleveland has a “ton of weapons.”

Then on Saturday, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller also predicted that the Browns will be crowned the AFC North champions for the 2019 season.

The presence of Baker Mayfield at quarterback is a big reason why so many analysts view favorably of the Browns next season. In the final eight games of the 2018 season, Mayfield’s play excelled with Freddie Kitchens calling plays. Now that Kitchens is the head coach, the expectation is the magic will continue into 2019.

The Browns have also built a strong group of talent around Mayfield, giving him plenty of options to make plays. With the amount of cap space and draft picks the Browns will have this off-season, they will have even more opportunities to build on that talent.

But Cleveland being viewed as AFC North favorites is not only because of the talent they have in their building. The rest of the division, most notably the Steelers, are either aging or expected to lose some of their top talent.

The Steelers have already traded Antonio Brown and did not receive high draft picks for him. They will also be losing Le’Veon Bell in free agency. Ben Roethlisberger is also nearing the end of his career, so their dominant run in the AFC North led by their offense could be on its downfall.

There is also some doubt the Ravens will be able to replicate their success from last season. Defenses seemed to adjust to the Lamar Jackson offense and was able to limit his abilities. And their defense has several key free agents, making it extremely difficult for the unit to be as good as it was last season.

Finally, the Bengals are entering 2019 with a new head coach, but may not be looking to rebuild this off-season. Some key players were injured last season, but their overall talent may not be able to compete with the Browns’ talent.

With the Browns nearing the end of their complete rebuild, it is surprising to see how many people believe that they will be the team to beat in the AFC North in 2019. Although they showed a lot of potential last season, it is still a young roster.

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If the Browns are able to use their cap space and add some of the top talent available in free agency and fill the holes on their roster, it may be enough to push them into the playoffs. It is being noticed by many NFL analysts, but the Browns are in a favorable position in the AFC North.

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