Cleveland Browns: Welcome to the new era of Browns football
With the trade for Odell Beckham Jr. and a slew of other offseason moves about to become official, the Browns’ rebuild is officially finished. It’s time for the NFL to meet the AFC’s newest contenders: the Cleveland Browns.
Let’s set the scene. It’s 7:56 PM on Tuesday, March 12th, 2019, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network breaks the news: the Cleveland Browns have acquired wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants.
And in that moment, just after the news broke, everyone felt it. The players knew it, the fanbase knew it, the NFL as a whole knew, and agreed: the Cleveland Browns are back.
In just two years, general manager John Dorsey has taken the Cleveland Browns from the 0-16 joke of a franchise they were in 2017 to right now, where in the eyes of many, the Browns are real contenders.
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Dorsey’s inherent knack for talent evaluation put the Browns in the position to compete in 2018, just barely missing the .500 mark at 7-8-1. And, his general managing wizardry was on display on Tuesday night, as Dorsey pulled off his magnum opus.
Dorsey, along with front office compatriots Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf, have carefully constructed the Browns since coming to Berea in December 2017. This offseason, with young quarterback Baker Mayfield entering his second year, was supposed to be the offseason where all their hard work, all their moves, clicked into place. And for once in Cleveland, it actually worked. The full arc of Dorsey and Co.’s efforts has been revealed, and it’s a huge breath of fresh air.
The Cleveland Browns you see before you are young, determined, and supremely talented on both sides of the ball. Led by stud quarterback Baker Mayfield on offense and superstar defensive end Myles Garrett on defense, the Browns are primed to make a serious push in 2019 and beyond. This once hapless franchise has picked itself up off the mat, and is finally punching back with a vengeance.
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This is not the time for cautious optimism and “well, maybe next year”s. No, this is a time for celebration and hope for the future. Cleveland has waited for so long, and now the fans on the shores of Lake Erie have been rewarded for their patience. Welcome to the new era of Cleveland football, Browns fans. Buckle up.