3 Cleveland Browns who won’t live up to fan expectations
The NFL season is nearly upon us, which has fans ready to go. However, there are three Cleveland Browns who won’t live up to fan expectations.
Training camps are open and football is back! Well, sort of. The Cleveland Browns are about to embark on yet another new quarterback era, one that comes with controversy and a very important decision to be made. Regardless of how many games Deshaun Watson is suspended for – if any – fan expectations are through the roof for not only this season, but also the next four-plus years.
As fans, we have a ton of expectations for the team and players year in and year out. Last season, expectations were probably the highest they have been since the team returned to the NFL in 1999. Those expectations fell extremely short, which is why the Browns decided to go in a different direction at the quarterback position.
Before I dive into the three players who won’t live up to fan expectations, let me just state, for the record, that in no way do I want these predictions to happy. In fact, I hope I’m dead wrong in this assertation, and I hate being wrong. We all want the best possible outcome for our favorite teams and players, which is what makes us fans.
When these expectations don’t get met, as sometimes we aim a bit too high, we then are left to deal with heartbreak and agony. The Browns have provided tons of both over the last 22 seasons, but what makes Cleveland a great fanbase is the hope and optimism we all share in terms of what we expect from our beloved franchise every single year.
This season could be one for the ages, but these three players won’t live up to fan expectations, which doesn’t mean they’ll have bad seasons.
Cleveland Browns Who Won’t Live Up to Fan Expectations
No. 3: Nick Chubb Won’t Win the NFL Rushing Title
Nick Chubb is one of the premiere running backs in the NFL today. Where he ranks is up for debate as you can rank him anywhere in the top five and nobody would bat an eye. It all depends on who you ask and on what day you ask the question.
The biggest reason that Chubb will not win the rushing title is the fact that he shares a backfield with Kareem Hunt, who could easily be a No. 1 back on a handful of teams around the league. It’s a luxury for us Browns fans to have two dynamic running backs leading the rushing attack, but that also hinders Chubb’s chances of winning the rushing title and that’s not a bad thing for Cleveland.
Both guys can be 1,000-yard rushers, which would be highly beneficial for the Browns in their quest to get back to the playoffs. In their lone season in which they played in more than 10-games together, the duo combined for 1,908 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. Hunt also caught five touchdown passes.
If both are healthy and on the field, opposing defenses will have a tall task to stop either, or which one to choose should the Browns put them both in the backfield on certain pistol-like formations. Having Watson in between them will benefit the team greatly, as he will not hesitate to utilize them in the passing game.
Chubb has finished second in rushing yards on two separate occasions (2021 and 2019), but I think that is the closest he will get, but again, that’s not a bad thing for the Browns. Guys like Derrick Henry of the Titans, Johnathan Taylor of the Colts, and Najee Harris of the Steelers are the true bell cows of their respective teams, meaning they’ll likely touch the ball more than Chubb will as they don’t really split their backfields.
I don’t see a scenario in which Chubb doesn’t rush for over 1,000 yards, barring injury, of course, but I also don’t see him winning the rushing title.