Potential postponed 2020 season may be helpful for Cleveland Browns

The potential of a postponed 2020 NFL season has been floated around, but it may not hurt the Cleveland Browns as much as one would anticipate.

The Cleveland Browns are once again entering a new era in the organization, this time led by general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. During their brief time leading the organization, they have quickly built hope in Dawg Pound.

Even with the 2020 NFL Draft still a month away, the roster that has been compiled so far has created plenty of anticipation about what the 2020 season could have in store for the Browns. Cleveland is putting a together a more complete roster than it had in 2019, which should result in better performances and more success on the field.

However, the anticipation for the 2020 season may have to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and around the world. With several events being postponed, there is uncertainty about when the United States can return to normalcy. That includes the idea of if the NFL will even be able to have a 2020 season in the fall.

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ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit told TMZ Sports Thursday night that he would be “shocked” if the NFL was able to play its season this fall due to the unknown of how long the COVID-19 pandemic will continue in the United States.

"“Just because from what I understand, people that I listen to, you’re 12 to 18 months from a [coronavirus] vaccine. I don’t know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up and how you can play ball. I just don’t know how you can do it with the optics of it.” – Herbstreit via TMZ"

With the NFL season still months away, it is still very much up in the air about if the NFL can manage to play its season. However, Herbstreit mentioned good points and there is a chance he is right by the time fall comes around when the league was supposed to start playing games.

If Herbstreit’s prediction does become reality, it may not hurt the Browns as much as it would other teams in the league. With a new head coach, the Browns are starting from scratch and are going to be adjusting to new playbooks and new philosophies on the field. In that case, they are going to need as much time as possible to get acclimated to Stefanski’s playbook and to build chemistry.

As things currently stand, the NFL’s offseason program has been indefinitely suspended and likely cut short. Instead of teams with new head coaches being able to hit the field and meeting rooms to begin installing their new cultures, coaches and players are stuck at home away from the team’s facilities.

The Browns and other teams who hired new head coaches this offseason would have been able to start their offseason workout programs on April 6. Even though it would have only been a small program in the offseason, it would play a vital role in getting the players up to speed with what Stefanksi and his coaching staff are looking for.

The postponed workout programs in April could only be scratching the surface of other offseason programs being postponed. Whether it be rookie minicamp at the beginning of May, or potentially OTA’s, the offseason program being indefinitely suspended creates a lot of uncertainty around the NFL.

If the NFL were to play its season in the fall with a condensed offseason program, the Browns would be put at a disadvantage early on in the season. The team would have to get acclimated to the new playbook and coaching staff rapidly in order to play relaxed free on the field on game days.

The Browns ran into the issue of being unprepared in 2019 and it resulted in lackluster performances all season long. The team was not comfortable with the game plans, and it created a lot of discombobulated stretches for the Browns. Although the circumstances would be much different in 2020, being unprepared with a rookie head coach can derail a season.

If the NFL did decide to postpone the 2020 season as Herbstreit predicted, it could prove to be helpful for the Browns. Having a full offseason to build chemistry with Stefanski and his playbook would give the Browns a better chance of success on Sunday compared to a rushed and condensed offseason program.

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It may not be what Cleveland Browns fans, or any NFL fan wants, but the idea of the 2020 season being postponed is something that is going to be under consideration. There are a lot of negatives to the season being postponed, but it may not hurt the Browns as much as it would for other teams around the league.

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