John Harbaugh: Cleveland Browns are ‘most talented team’ in AFC North
By Dan Justik
The Baltimore Ravens may be the reigning AFC North champions, but John Harbaugh says the Cleveland Browns are the most talented team in the division.
The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens had an entertaining Week 17 match-up last season that ended with the Ravens winning the game in the final minutes. The win clinched the AFC North division title for the Ravens, capping off a strong late season run.
With quarterback Lamar Jackson taking over the starting job in the middle of the season, he helped fuel a Baltimore offense turnaround during the second half of the season. With the help of the league’s overall best defense, the Ravens finished the 2018 season winning six of their last seven games.
However, after a series of moves in the off-season, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday the Cleveland Browns are currently the most talented team in the AFC North, but would not say they are the ‘best’ team in the division.
John Harbaugh on Browns: "They’re the most talented team in the division. We’ll see what that means. I know this -- that’s right now. The best team in the division is the team that’s going to win the division. So, we’ll see what the best team is."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) March 26, 2019
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The Browns have been the story of the off-season after adding top end talent to their roster. Before free agency opened, the Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon. They also signed Kareem Hunt earlier in the off-season.
Add in the addition of Sheldon Richardson on the defensive line and the Cleveland Browns have built up a tremendously talented roster. They have also had the best off-season of the teams in the AFC North.
On the other hand, the Ravens have lost more talent than they have brought in. Baltimore has lost key members of their defense, including C.J. Mosley, Eric Weddle, Za’Darius Smith and Terrelle Suggs, and have only added Earl Thomas and Justin Bethel. They also signed Mark Ingram on the offensive side of the ball, but let John Brown and Michael Crabtree leave in free agency.
Harbaugh is right in saying no one will know who the best team will be in the division despite the talent on the Browns roster. So often in the NFL have teams added a bunch of talent in the off-season, but the talent does not mesh well and the results on the field are disappointing.
The Ravens were also not expected to be the best team in the AFC North last season because of the talent in Pittsburgh. But after multiple locker room issues with their top players, the Steelers had to hope the Browns beat the Ravens in their Week 17 match-up to win the division.
Next. Cleveland Browns' post-free agency needs. dark
The Browns have a lot of expectations for the 2019 season because of the talent they’ve added. That includes having the third best odds to win the AFC Championship next season. But even with all of the talent on their roster, they will have to show they can utilize that talent to live up to those expectations and reach the playoffs.