Do the Cleveland Browns really have the NFL’s best roster?

Cleveland Browns

RB – Elite

Nick Chubb is the best pure runner in the NFL, and Kareem Hunt is the best backup running back in the NFL. D’Ernest Johnson is a solid third-stringer.

WR – Good

Odell Beckham Jr. is still one of the league’s most dynamic receivers when he’s on the field, and he was practically uncoverable during his six games in 2020. Those just didn’t happen to coincide with the stretch where Baker Mayfield was an elite quarterback.

Jarvis Landry is not worth the cap hit he carries this season, and is ineffective as a No.1 boundary receiver. When used as a second or third option from the slot, he can do some things. How often that will happen in the Browns offense remains to be seen.

Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins both offer different skillsets, and were extremely efficient with the targets they received in 2020.

This group is the most expensive room in the NFL, and the Browns don’t get anywhere close to the return on investment that they need to. Baker Mayfield’s elite downfield passing ability is being wasted with the current group, and a top-100 draft pick with speed must be added, at the absolute minimum.

TE – Good

Austin Hooper may have had a disappointing first season in Cleveland, but he at least blocked fairly well and was hampered by injuries, so perhaps he will rebound in 2021.

The slack was more than picked up by David Njoku, who blocked his tail off all season long and was the team’s biggest aerial threat in the playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Njoku is the best tight end on the roster, and his best play is still in front of him. Harrison Bryant showed some promise as a rookie, but must add some mass and become more reliable.

OL – Elite

The Browns ended the season with Pro Football Focus’s top-ranked offensive line in both run blocking and pass blocking, a feat never accomplished before. The same starting five return, along with some very good depth.

DT – Good

Larry Ogunjobi is gone, replaced by Malik Jackson and the return (or debut, rather) of Andrew Billings, who opted out of the 2020 campaign. Along with Sheldon Richardson and Jordan Elliott, there is some quality talent in this room, one which must play much better than it did last season.

EDGE – Great

Through four games, Myles Garrett was on a record-breaking pace. Then he suffered an ankle injury, and then contracted COVID-19. Even a hampered Garrett is better than nearly every other pass-rusher in the league, however, and he single-handedly brings this group up a grade. Takkarist McKinley is currently slated to start opposite Garrett, which is not ideal.

Porter Gustin and Curtis Weaver are the primary depth options at the moment. The team will likely sign a veteran rusher to start and also draft a rookie on Day 2, so if the Browns can add a pair like Jadeveon Clowney and Joe Tryon, this group would become elite.

LB – Decent

There is a lot of complaining about the Browns linebacker corps, but it hardly matters. B.J. Goodson has been replaced by Anthony Walker, which should be an upgrade. Jacob Phillips flashed high-level instincts and burst last season and should take on a larger role in 2021.

Sione Takitaki is a great run-stopper on the edge, and Malcolm Smith was one of the league’s better coverage backers. Cleveland will be playing with just one or two linebackers on the field for the majority of snaps, so even if the position group were as bad as it’s made out to be, who cares?

CB – Good

Denzel Ward is a very good No.1 cornerback. Greedy Williams was supposed to be the No.2, but suffered a shoulder injury that ended up being a very serious nerve issue. It’s unclear what the timetable is for his return, but when he was last on the field, he was quite a bit better than most remember him being. Depth on the outside is still a major issue.

Troy Hill coming over from the Rams is a Godsend for this defense. Hill has earned one of the highest PFF grades from the slot in recent years, and will take over at a position that has lacked quality play since Briean Boddy-Calhoun back in 2018.

S – Great

John Johnson III is one of the league’s best and most versatile safeties, and Cleveland landed him at a below-market price. He will pair with Ronnie Harrison to form a high-quality starting tandem, and if Grant Delpit can come back strong from his torn achilles, this group will become elite very quickly.

Verdict

So, to answer the question: Do the Browns have the NFL’s best roster?

To quote the great Boba Fett, possibly. The Buccaneers and Packers are the two biggest challengers at the moment. Things could look very different after the draft, so perhaps this will be a topic worth revisiting.

For now, enjoy the fact that the Browns are even in discussions like these, and that Baker Mayfield is likely better than five of these teams’ quarterbacks.