The Cleveland Browns are the new ‘destination team’ in the NFL

After a successful season of improvement, and that momentum continuing into this offseason, the Cleveland Browns are becoming a team that everyone, both rookie and veteran, want to play for.

Success. That’s one word that anyone following the NFL knows was not synonymous with the Cleveland Browns organization. Whether a fan of the league since 2000 or 2017, you know that front office drama, coaching carousels, and draft pick whiffs were nothing out of the ordinary for the Browns franchise. Things began to take a turn in 2018, however, when general manager John Dorsey took the helm and began to mold the team into something to be proud of.

It all started by removing players who didn’t fit the culture he desired. Dorsey said he wanted to make his football team full of “real players,” which is something the previous regimes had failed to do. Dorsey was also willing to make big moves, starting with drafting Baker Mayfield first overall to be the team’s face and quarterback of the future. Most recently, the GM made perhaps his biggest splash by practically stealing star wide out Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants.

Before the successes of the 2018 season with Mayfield and interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, the Browns had decided to keep Hue Jackson as head coach. With the 2018 draft being filled with four to five potential first round quarterbacks, the questions were thrown around to each major quarterback prospect: “Do you want to play for the Cleveland Browns?” Coming off a 0-16 season, that was a big question; do you want to play for a team that dysfunctional, where players go to have their NFL stardom dreams die?

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Many of the quarterback prospects, such as Sam Darnold and Josh Allen answered politely by essentially saying they were willing to play for whoever drafted them and would be thankful for the opportunity. While that answer sounds good on the surface, anyone with a brain knows they didn’t truly want to play in Cleveland. Baker Mayfield, however, responded differently at the 2018 NFL Combine, taking the question head on and stating that he would be able to make that team a champion.

"“I think if anybody’s gonna turn that franchise around, it’d be me. I’d be able to put it in the right direction”"

Fast forward to the 2019 off-season. Hue Jackson is gone, Freddie Kitchens is in and Baker Mayfield just led the Browns to a 7-8-1 record. That success has led to high expectations for the 2019 campaign, but no longer are the Browns a team to dodge as a player or coach. Instead, the Browns are a team that is drawing interest from everyone, both incoming rookies and veterans alike.

The first instance came from Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver, a projected first round pick, who stated he would love to play alongside star defensive end Myles Garrett. Along with him, Michigan State defensive back prospect Justin Layne tweeted that the Browns should draft him and bring him back to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Not only are rookies talking about the Browns, but current pros as well. It was long speculated that Jarvis Landry was trying to recruit Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland prior to the trade completing it,  but several other free agents have said they would love to fill holes for teams that are only a few pieces away from a championship. While they aren’t calling out and saying they’re talking about the Browns directly, one has to think that this list of players, most of whom are defenders, are talking about the void left by Jabrill Peppers and others departing in free agency and in the trade for Beckham.

Perhaps its just speculation and overreaction, but there is proof out there that players are seeing the Browns progress and want to be a part of something special. John Dorsey has made big moves in his short tenure in Cleveland, and there are sure to be more moves as well.

All these moves and acquisitions were made to create a winning culture in Cleveland, a culture that would have others from all around the league envious. This off-season has already shown signs that the Browns are there. They still must keep elevating themselves to be better, but John Dorsey, first year head coach Freddie Kitchens, and Baker Mayfield have made this team one that is desirable to play on.