It's that time of year again. Everyone is making their predictions for each team's final record, who will make the playoffs, and who will win the Super Bowl. Maurice Moton took his turn and you can find the article here.
He predicts that the Cleveland Browns will finish with a record of 8-9 and finish in last place in the division. The main reasoning for his prediction is Deshaun Watson, not believing in his ability to play a full slate of games.
While it is true that Watson was injured last year, he has looked promising during training camp. He has been able to throw consistently in practice and was able to participate in 11 on 11 against the Minnesota Vikings this week at practice.
Deshaun Watson hitting back-to-back completions to Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore in individual drills against the Vikings 👀
— Browns Film Breakdown (@BrownsFilmBDN) August 14, 2024
🎥: @FredGreetham9 pic.twitter.com/iZSR42Gzmd
Moton faults the Browns for not retaining Joe Flacco as Watson's backup. However, the Browns addressed the backup position and improved upon it. Flacco is 39 years old. The likelihood of Flacco being able to capture the lightning in a bottle that he had last year is extremely unlikely.
Instead, the Browns opted for a similar player in Jameis Winston. Winston is one of the league's top backup options. He is capable of running a competent offense. Like Flacco, he does need to work on not turning the ball over as much, which he was capable of doing during his last extended time playing in 2021.
Moton is also unsure of what to make of Nick Chubb's injury. It has been reported that Chubb is making good progress in his recovery from his severe knee injury. It is likely that Chubb is back sooner, rather than later this year.
The one positive Moton notes about the Browns is their defense. The defense should be similar to last year and has the potential to be even better with the players they added and consultant Mike Vrabel.
Overall Thoughts
While Moton has good reason to doubt Watson and his ability to be effective and healthy, he has no problem saying the Bengals will win the division if Joe Burrow is healthy. Burrow has had to deal with numerous injuries throughout his career and it is no more likely that he is able to finish the year healthy than Watson.
The Baltimore Ravens, predicted to go 10-7, should be good as long as they have Lamar Jackson. Adding Derek Henry, although aging, also doesn't hurt. However, there is much uncertainty surrounding the Ravens. They lost several starting offensive lineman from last year. On defense, they will have a new coordinator and several new players. They also lost star linebacker Patrick Queen to their division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers are always going to be around .500 as long as Mike Tomlin is their coach. Tomlin always features an above average defense, keeping the team in games. Their season is going to be determined by their quarterback play. Does Russell Wilson have anything left in the tank? If not, can the Steelers turn Justin Fields into a consistent passer? For better or worse, the Steelers will have their season decided by their quarterbacks.
The Browns should finish above 8-9. They got a younger backup at quarterback in Winston that is capable of doing the things that Flacco did that made him successful if Watson gets hurt. The Browns are in the second year with Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator as well, which should allow him to diversify his scheme further. The offense should look better as well with the coaching overhaul they did this offseason and the addition of Jerry Jeudy.
While the Browns might not win the division, they most definitely should not finish in last place. It's easy for national media to continue to think little of the Browns based on their past. The Browns have only finished in last place one time since Kevin Stefanski took over as head coach.
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