3 reasons Cleveland Browns are in win-now mode
Reason No. 2 the Cleveland Browns are in win-now mode
The core players are in the primes of their careers
Outside of the quarterback position – more on that later – there are other key components that teams must have filled at an elite level of play. Arguably the second or third-most important position is that of EDGE rusher.
Luckily for the Browns, they have Myles Garrett, who very well could be the best EDGE rusher in the NFL. The guy is a scary sight for opposing quarterbacks to see coming barreling into the pocket with the hopes of taking you to the ground and getting the football.
Last season, Garrett set the Browns single-season sack record with 16 and is just four sacks away from breaking the all-time franchise record. The best part for the Browns is the fact that Garrett is just 26-years old and is entering the prime of his career.
One of Garrett’s sacks last year was a strip-sack returned for a touchdown. That was an elite play from an elite player. He has had double-digit sack totals every year but his rookie season back in 2017. The scariest part for opposing teams is the fact that Garrett can still be so much better, which is simply insane to think about. The Browns made the smart decision in the summer of 2020 by giving Garrett a five-year, $120 million extension.
Running backs are normally the players that you don’t want to give a second contract to, but in the case of Nick Chubb, you make an exception to the rule. Chubb, like Garrett, is only 26-years old and is signed through the 2024 season after signing a three-year, $36 million extension last August.
In 2021, Chubb finished second in the NFL in rushing with 1,259 yards, despite missing three games. He finished with eight touchdowns and a 5.5 yards per carry average. He is one of the premier backs in the NFL, if not the premier back, depending on who you ask. For his career, Chubb has rushed for 4,816 yards and 36 touchdowns. He is a game-changer and now with an upgrade at the quarterback position, he will face fewer stacked boxes, giving him more room to rumble down the field.
The NFL is a passing league first and foremost with a ton of elite quarterback and wide receiver combinations. One of the ways to stop a receiver is to have a lock-down cornerback, which the Browns have in Denzel Ward. The Ohio-native and Ohio State Alumnus is only 24-years old and has already proven he is among the elite at the position.
Ward will play the 2022 season on his fifth-year option with the hopes of signing a long-term extension to remain in browns and orange. The deal seems like a matter of when not if, so it could come as soon as the summer or the two sides could agree to talk extension after the season is over. If he has another season as he did a season ago when he was elected to his second Pro Bowl, that extension will be easy to make.
In 2021, Ward had three interceptions, one of which he returned 99-yards for a touchdown against Joe Burrow. That matchup, along with Ja’Marr Chase, will be crucial for years to come. Along with the three picks, Ward finished with 10 pass deflections, 43 combined tackles, and a half of a sack. Pay the man.
This doesn’t even include what type of players the likes of Jedrick Wills, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Greg Newsome could become. That’s a good problem to have, by the way.