Cleveland Browns need to build as a run-first, cold weather, natural turf team

Tight ends in a run-first offense

A run-first team has to have a quality tight end who is a good blocker, and they probably need two of them. The Browns had no one at tight end who put up numbers last year. Making a long story short, the Browns had five tight ends, none of whom were ranked in the top 32 by Pro Football Focus. That is, no one played at the level of a first-string tight end last year. The Browns did not invest much money in tight end talent either. Demetrius Harris was their first-string player, with a salary 31st in the NFL. If you get what you pay for, the Browns did not pay very much and got back even less last year.

There is no tight end that did much to enhance the running game, so this position is a problem.  Harris has been cut and signed by the Chicago Bears. Similarly, Ricky Seals-Jones is a restricted free agent this year, meaning that if the Browns want to keep him, they can. However, Seals-Jones is a better receiver than blocker, much like David Njoku.

Njoku represents a major investment in terms of draft capital, as he was a first round draft pick and the Browns traded up to get him. He was banished by Kitchens, however, and ended up as the fifth-string tight end. That is very hard to do since many teams keep only three tight ends on the active roster.

IF Njoku’s blocking prevents him from being the every-down tight end, he might be a good counterpart to a blocking tight end in two-tight-end formations. His 639 receiving yards in 2018 prove that he can at least catch the ball. Earlier this offseason, I dared to suggest he might not be a tight end after all, and he might make a better contribution as an extra wide receiver.

Currently, Stephen Carlson looks like he might have a chance to develop into a run-blocking tight end and if so, he might wind up with the largest number of snaps in 2020. However, if you look at the grades assigned by Pro Football Focus, Carlson would rank 39th among tight ends, or about at the level of a good backup. The other Browns were significantly worse. Thus, it would not be a shock if the Browns draft a tight end in the early rounds.

In any case, a run-first team needs to be sure that it is strong on the offensive line and at tight end.  The Browns had other priorities in 2019.