With rookie minicamp here and training camp upon us, these Cleveland Browns could find themselves acquiring some hardware at the end of the 2021 season.
One of the biggest things that have haunted the Cleveland Browns is the lack of respect and recognition, for good reason during the dark years. With Kevin Stefanski now at the helm of the Browns, the future looks even brighter than ever. Stefanski, coming off being named the NFL’s Coach of the Year, is looking to bring the Browns back to the playoffs and, this time, a run at a Super Bowl.
This Browns roster is absolutely stacked. Each position loaded with talent, we could see several players winning some awards at the end of the 2021 regular season.
Every year at the NFL Honors the league’s best are honored for their hard work and excellence in the regular season. We could be seeing a couple of players from the Browns talented roster taking the stage next year and bringing some hardware home. These awards consist of the Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year.
Just to be clear, this article is not a prediction. This is not saying that every award will be won by a member of the Cleveland Browns. This is simply saying which players on the Browns are the most likely to win each award. Coach of the Year will be excluded from this list because it would obviously be Kevin Stefanski. The Walter Payton Man of the Year award will also be excluded as the team chooses their representative.
As the season appears to be shaping up, with the recent schedule release, the Browns could be in for quite the ride this year. For these awards, we are going to spread the love and make it so that only one player can win each award. Sorry, everybody, Baker Mayfield won’t win the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
Comeback Player of the Year – Odell Beckham Jr.
This one is pretty obvious, isn’t it? The Cleveland Browns went 11-5 on the season last year and that was without their number one wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr.
With Beckham most likely returning to the team, he’s the clear-cut favorite for the award if he plays the full season. We saw how the offense flourished without him in the first year under Kevin Stefanski and now we’ll hopefully get to see him thrive. The past few years of his career have been overwhelmed with injuries or just lackluster play, for his standards.
If Beckham can manage to mesh into this offense right away then he could be poised for a big year. The biggest issue the Browns have faced with him in the lineup is the inconsistency from Baker Mayfield and the tendency to force the ball.
If Mayfield and Beckham can be on the same page and understand that the ball can be spread around the field and that OBJ doesn’t need 10 targets a game, this Browns offense could be the best in the league, even better than the Chiefs. A 1,000 yard and 5+ touchdown season would definitely keep him in the running for the award.
Beckham is returning from an ACL tear that he suffered in the Week 7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. If he can return to a form that’s anywhere near what he was at with the New York Giants he’ll be the frontrunner for the Comeback Player of the Year award and could potentially solidify the Browns as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The only player he realistically has a chance of losing the award to would be Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Anthony Schwartz
This is the definition of the term “slim pickings” here for the Browns as they have only brought in four offensive players via the 2021 NFL Draft and the players that went undrafted. The candidates for this award are third-round receiver Anthony Schwartz, fourth-round offensive lineman James Hudson, sixth-round running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton, and undrafted free agent running back Tre Harbison III.
It’s safe to rule out James Hudson because the chances of an offensive lineman winning the award aren’t great at all. If Quenton Nelson couldn’t win rookie of the year, it’ll be hard for any offensive lineman to do it.
As a UDFA, there are very low expectations for Tre Harbison III. If the starters see any major injuries, we could see Harbison potentially take offensive snaps but not enough to earn him the honors. The news that Demetric Felton may be used as a running back increased his stock tremendously from special teams player to potential RB3 on the team.
For the Browns, the frontrunner for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award is going to be Anthony Schwartz. Schwartz is WR4 currently but with another major injury to either Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry, that could vault him into the starting role.
Nothing really more than a speedster, Schwartz should just spend a majority of his time as a return specialist and making an appearance on offense every once in a while. If Schwartz does see significant time, he could surprise the league.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
This offseason the Browns did what they desperately needed to do, go big or go home on defensive players. This rookie class is absolutely stacked with first-round pick Greg Newsome II, second-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, fourth-round pick Tommy Togiai, and fifth-round picks Tony Fields II and Richard LeCounte.
They continued the overhaul by bringing in undrafted free agents Marvin Wilson, Romeo McKnight, Manny Rugamba, and Kiondre Thomas.
There are three members of this class who could very easily win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2021. Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Marvin Wilson are those guys. Owusu-Koramoah and Wilson are two guys that at one point were expected to be first-rounders but fell out because of health concerns.
After losing Larry Ogunjobi and cutting Sheldon Richardson, Marvin Wilson will be competing with Jordan Elliott and recent free agent signing Andrew Billings. JOK and Newsome should both be starting during the season opener, barring an offseason injury, so those are the two most likely candidates. With Newsome being potentially the third corner behind Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, there may not be as many opportunities for him to shine this season.
JOK looks to be the best option for the Browns if someone were to take home the DROTY award. He’s a safety-linebacker hybrid that flies all over the field and was one of the best defensive players in college football last season. There’s a very good chance we could see him in multiple positions next year but that could also be his downfall as he is in a similar situation as Isaiah Simmons of the Arizona Cardinals who didn’t have a great rookie campaign.
Offensive Player of the Year – Nick Chubb
Just for the sake of rewarding everyone for their hard work, the Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards won’t go to the player who wins the MVP.
For our Browns Offensive Player of the Year, it’ll be Nick Chubb. In his three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Chubb has racked up over 4,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns. The two-time Pro Bowler finished second in rushing in his sophomore campaign and would have replicated that success had he not missed four games with a sprained MCL in 2020.
Chubb is a top five running back in the NFL when healthy and has been a huge part of the Browns improvement since his arrival. With the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator leaving, there could be a decrease in touches for Derrick Henry which could lead to Chubb leading the league in rushing. If he were to take the rushing crown Chubb would be the first Cleveland Brown to lead the NFL in rushing since Leroy Kelly in 1968.
Nick Chubb finished the regular season with 1,067 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in the 12 games he played. He already ranks as the Browns franchise seventh leading rusher all-time. If he wins the rushing title in 2021 he could jump as high as the fourth leading rusher, passing Marion Motley, Kevin Mack, and (potentially) Greg Pruitt.
If he can manage to end the season with 1,600+ rushing yards and around 15 rushing touchdowns along with leading the league in rushing, it’ll take a miracle to take the OPOTY away from him.
Defensive Player of the Year – Myles Garrett
This was actually tough to choose from. Normally, Myles Garrett would have been the far and away favorite for this award. With how the Browns front office has rebuilt this defense, Denzel Ward, Jadeveon Clowney, and John Johnson III could also realistically be in contention.
Garrett should still be the favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award because of how consistently good he has been. With the addition of Clowney, he could be even better. It’s bad enough for offensive linemen to deal with a superstar pass rusher, pair Garrett with Clowney, who can still be an above average to good pass rusher, the defensive line is terrifying.
He’s only played a full season once in his career which is concerning but if he can manage to stay on the field he’ll be in talks for the DPOY. The chatter always starts early in the season as he usually gets off to a hot start and then dies down when he seems to hit a wall late in the season. If Garrett can continue to assert his dominance on opposing offensive lines and ends up with 17+ sacks and 3+ forced fumbles, he would be a surefire candidate.
An increase in production is expected this season as Garrett is in the early stages of the prime of his career. He’s coming off of his second Pro Bowl selection and his first ever selection to the First Team All-Pro. If he can hit his stride early, he should end the season as one of the premiere edge rushers.
Most Valuable Player – Baker Mayfield
If it wasn’t Myles Garrett then who else could it be other than QB1.
If the Browns succeed, it will most likely come because of the massive improvements made by Baker Mayfield. Year 2 in the Kevin Stefanski offense should be one that not just Browns fans should look forward to, NFL fans should look forward to it.
If Mayfield can take that next step and eliminate the poor decision-making and can help a returning Odell Beckham transition back into the offense, this team could be unstoppable. Mayfield helped lead the Browns to an 11-5 record and their first playoff win in 26 years.
He gets Odell and Rashard Higgins back as well as adding Anthony Schwartz to his receiving corps. The offense is loaded and it looks like the only thing that can hold them back is Baker. Should he perform like fans are expecting him to, the Browns will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender and he could end up being the MVP front runner.
This team is young and very good. It is built to win now and for the next five years at the very least. The success of the team falls on Mayfield’s shoulders and he’s shown that he is built for moments like these. The former Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick is looking to add “Super Bowl Champion” and “Super Bowl MVP” to his resume and bring Cleveland back to the promised land.
Baker Mayfield is the face of the Cleveland Browns and they are back.