Cleveland Browns: 5 Players who will make or break 2021 season
By Greg Newland
The NFL is a team sport, but you have to have stars to be elite. The Cleveland Browns will be counting on these five guys to compete for a Super Bowl.
The Cleveland Browns head into Week 1 as contenders for the first time in over 30 years. In year two, head coach Kevin Stefanski will look to take the next leap after winning the organization’s first playoff game since 1994 last year.
The pressure will be high all season for the Browns, but this roster is ready to take the next big leap in competition. Not only will they have a great offense, but a ton of money and draft equity was also put into the defense for this season.
At this point, the hardest thing is to not get “too excited” for this team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills will also be great teams, but the Browns are built to beat anyone if they live up to expectations.
Football is certainly a team game, but you must have the guys to be any good. And as with any team, a few guys can really make or break the entire season. Below are the five guys who could have a major impact on boom or bust for the Browns in 2021.
No. 5 – Jedrick Wills, Left Tackle
There is no doubt that Jedrick Wills played well as a rookie in 2020. Not only was he a great NFL left tackle, but he also made the transition from playing right tackle in college.
I think there is a low risk that he would regress and not play as well as he did as a rookie, but it is certainly something to watch. He seemed to have at least one pre-snap penalty a game and struggled at times against the speed rush.
With Bill Callahan as the position coach, I expect Wills to make a huge leap forward this year. With the Browns winning a lot of games and running the ball well, Wills could look to make his first pro-bowl in year two.