5 reasons we can finally believe in the Cleveland Browns
By Clay Goodwin
2. Talent and depth
It’s time to believe in Cleveland because they finally have talent and depth to back it up. Past Cleveland teams severely lacked talented players who could change the game at any given time. The team elected to stash draft capital and it was tough going through the rebuilding years. This Browns team is much different than the past.
The offensive line, as talked about in prior slides, has produced at an elite level so far. They even have quality depth with swing-lineman Chris Hubbard able to fill almost any spot up front. They also drafted Nick Harris in the 5th round this season and was in the starting lineup throughout camp with Tretter out with an injury. He showed real promise in his reps. The Browns have not had this kind of starting talent and security behind with backups in quite some time.
The offensive weapons are plentiful for Cleveland and they are surely talented. They boast Pro Bowlers at every level including Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at receiver, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt at running back, and Austin Hooper at tight end. This is easily the most talented group of skill positions Cleveland has had in over 20 years. It makes play calling that much easier for Stefanski when there are game-changing players at every offensive position. These players are a large reason why the Browns are averaging the fourth most points per game this season.
Defensively there is also quite a bit of talent. The defensive line alone boasts three players with a Pro Bowl appearance in Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson. Larry Ogunjobi (DT) is also a very productive player and is playing the best football of his career this season. Garrett is on pace to be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year through four games as he leads the league with five sacks and three forced fumbles. This group up front is very talented and can cause problems for opposing lines.
Cornerback Denzel Ward has also made the Pro Bowl and is off to a fantastic start this season. He can take away half of the field defensively for Cleveland.
The talent on this team can not be overlooked. This team is poised to make a run this season.