How does the Browns offense stack up in the AFC North?
By Josh Brown
The Cleveland Browns have finished the preseason and now have the 53-man roster they will open the year against the Cincinnati Bengals. Some decisions were easy to make (see Cade York), and some were a bit harder (see Austin Watkins).
Aside from some minor churn at the bottom of the roster and setting the practice squad (welcome back Watkins), it looks like we are ready to go. So now that it has all shaken out, how does the Browns' offense look compared to the rest of the AFC North?
Quarterback
Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|
Deshaun Watson | Lamar Jackson | Joe Burrow | Kenny Pickett |
Dorian Thompson-Robinson | Tyler Huntley | Jake Browning | Mason Rudolph |
Mitch Trubisky |
The best quarterback in the AFC North right now is Joe Burrow. He has proven himself a winner and leads the favorite in the division. Lamar Jackson has an MVP under his belt but has regressed the past few seasons and is learning a new offense.
Kenny Pickett is still an unknown as the successor in Pittsburgh. Watson had a rough six games last year but has had a strong camp overall and may be back to his old self. If that is the case, the Browns could make a run at the division.
Running Back
Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|
Nick Chubb | J.K. Dobbins | Joe Mixon | Najee Harris |
Jerome Ford | Gus Edwards | Trayveon Williams | Anthony McFarland Jr. |
Pierre Strong | Justice Hill | Chase Brown | Jaylen Warren |
The Browns have arguably the best running back in the NFL and take the pole position here. The rest of the AFC North is a coin flip. Joe Mixon is talented and has gone for over 1,000 yards three times.
Najee Harris is loved by the Steelers, but the volume of touches is more impressive than the actual production. J.K. Dobbins has a ton of talent and went for 800+ yards at six yards a clip. He could be the breakout running back of the NFL this year and certainly push the Ravens up to number two in the division in the backfield.
Wide Receiver
Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|
Amari Cooper | Odell Beckham Jr. | Ja’Marr Chase | George Pickens |
Elijah Moore | Rashod Bateman | Tee Higgins | Diontae Johnson |
Donovan Peoples-Jones | Zay Flowers | Tyler Boyd | Allen Robinson II |
Cedric Tillman | Nelson Agholor | Charlie Jones | Calvin Austin III |
David Bell | Devin Duvernay | Trenton Irwin | Miles Boykin |
Marquise Goodwin | Tylan Wallace | Andrei Iosivas | Gunner Olszewski |
Cincinnati is once again on top of the list. They have arguably the most talented trio of wideouts in the NFL. The Ravens have OBJ, but he has had two severe injuries over the past two seasons, so it is hard to know what you will get.
The rest of the group either can't stay healthy or is unproven. The Steelers are top-heavy with Pickens and Johnson but very little depth beyond that.
Cleveland has a legit No. 1 in Cooper and talented players in DPJ and Elijah Moore. They also have a veteran speedster in Goodwin in the mix. Based on the overall talent, the Browns could have the second-best group.
Tight End
Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|
David Njoku | Mark Andrews | Irv Smith Jr. | Pat Freiermuth |
Jordan Akins | Patric Ricard | Drew Sample | Connor Heyward |
Harrison Bryant | Isaiah Likely Charlie Kolar | Mitchell Wlcox | Darnell Washington |
The Ravens have the most proven tight end in the division in Mark Andrews, but very little depth behind him. That places them second to the Browns who have David Njoku and Jordan Akins. Both of those guys could start for most teams in the NFL.
The Steelers boast Pat Freiermuth who had seven touchdowns a year ago. The Bengals have a trio of tight ends with none being a truly elite threat. Maybe Joe Burrow unlocks another level from Irv Smith Jr.
Offensive Line
Cleveland Browns | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|
Jedrick Wills | Ronny Stanley | Orlando Brown Jr. | Dan Moore Jr. |
Joel Bitonio | John Simpson | Cordell Volson | Isaac Seumalo |
Ethan Pocic | Tyler Linderbaum | Ted Karras | Mason Cole |
Wyatt Teller | Kevin Zeitler | Alex Cappa | James Daniels |
Jack Conklin | Morgan Moses | Jonah Williams | Chukwurma Okorafor |
James Hudson III Nick Harris Dawand Jones Luke Wypler | Patrick Mekari Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu Ben Cleveland Andrew Vorhees | Max Scharping Jackson Carman Cody Ford D'Ante Smith | Broderick Jones Spencer Anderson Nate Herbig Dylan Cook |
The Browns head this list with an offensive line that can arguably be the best in the NFL. The Bengals improved their line over the last couple of years, but the Ravens may actually have the better group. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with those two. The Steelers have the worst line in the North.
When you break it down, the Browns have an offense that can hang with anyone based on the talent. The Bengals have established continuity and are the best offense for now. The Ravens have big names, but a lot of change and questions abound. The Steelers have an unknown quarterback and a weak offensive line, which usually equals issues.
On paper (famous last words) the Bengals and Browns should have the best offenses in the AFC North. Now, we need to see it on the field.
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