After going 4-12 in 2018, the 49ers made the Super Bowl last season. The Cleveland Browns have some similarities. Can they follow the path set by the Niners?
Seemingly every year in the NFL, there is at least one team that struggled a year prior and then makes the playoffs that year. Last year, the 49ers did that to the extreme. In 2018 the 49ers went just 4-12 and had the second pick in the draft. This past year, the Niners went 13-3 and made the Super Bowl before ultimately falling to the Kansas City Chiefs. A team with just four wins the season before was not likely a Super Bowl favorite by many people, but the 49ers had the right blueprint for a turnaround. The Cleveland Browns could be the next team to do it.
The Browns have not made the playoffs since 2002, and are amidst the longest current playoff drought in the NFL. In 2018, the Browns went 7-9-1 and then regressed slightly in 2019 as they finished a disappointing 6-10. The Browns have built an impressive roster full of talent, but could not seem to stay on course.
Whether it was lack of discipline, execution, or some positions lacking talent, the Browns were not able to capitalize on what is probably their best roster in over 20 years. In 2020, things will be different.
For many reasons the Browns are similar to the 49ers and may be able to follow the path the Niners did in 2019. We’ll take a deeper look into how the Browns and 49ers are similar and why the Browns will have a similar turnaround as San Francisco did in 2019.