The upcoming 2023 season for the Cleveland Browns will have players that they will rely on more than others to succeed and hopefully return to the playoffs for the second time under coach Kevin Stefanski.
Of course, some players are going to be more crucial in becoming a winning football team than others. Here, we will take a look at who those players are and what they mean to the team's success this upcoming season.
Some of these players may not be top 10 players on the roster but what they can bring and contribute makes them important.
10. Cade York, K
Having an accurate kicker is one of the most important players to have if you want to win in the NFL. Cade York showed promise during his rookie campaign and we hope to see improvement from him in the upcoming season. There is no question that York has the leg to make kicks from 50-plus yards but his accuracy needs some work.
Last year the Browns lost four games by three points or less. In three of those games York missed either a PAT or FG to tie or take the lead. If York can improve his accuracy it can help the Browns in close games and leave fewer points on the field. If you look at the teams that have been competitive over the last decade more often than not they have a kicker who is both clutch and accurate.
If you take a look at some divisional opponents, the Bengals made the Super Bowl in 2021 thanks to their kicker making two game-winning field goals in the divisional round and conference championship game. The Browns have also suffered some heartbreaking losses to the Ravens thanks to Justin Tucker.
This goes to show that having a kicker who has that clutch gene and accuracy keeps you in games and gives you a chance to win. Cade York becoming that reliable kicker is important to the Browns Success
9. Jakeem Grant, KR
Most may not look at Jakeem Grant and think he is a top 10 most important player on the roster, but an under-looked part of being a successful football team is having a great special teams unit.
An electric kicker/punt returner can change the tide of a game in one play by flipping the field and giving the offense a better field position. Great returners do not have a direct correlation to winning, but they do have the ability to get the fans and players pumped up, and the ability to swing the momentum of a game can change the outcome of drives and games, which is what can make them so important.
If you were to ask what is a piece the Browns are missing the answer is probably a good special teams unit. An electrifying kick returner is something the Browns have been missing since the departure of Josh Cribbs in 2012. There have been moments in recent seasons where a guy has emerged as a serviceable or even a solid returner but no one to solidify themselves as the guy.
A year ago there was huge hope that Grant would be that guy for the Browns until he suffered a terrible Achilles tear in the preseason. That left an obvious hole in the return game.
Other than a couple of returns by Donovan Peoples-Jones, the return teams were around league average to slightly above. Grant also possesses the ability to break the top off a defense and get open for those If Grant can return to that explosive kick returner the Browns had hoped for, he will be fun to watch this season.
8. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT
The Browns passing defense is one of the best in the league giving up only 198.6 yards per game last season which ranks fifth in the NFL. On a team that ranked 25th in yards and yards per carry, and 30th in rushing touchdowns given up last year, Cleveland's rushing defense has been lackluster, to say the least. This makes the addition of Dalvin Tomlinson huge in terms of not only rushing defense but passing as well.
Something this Browns defense has been missing is a huge upfront presence that is able to stuff interior runs and push the pocket on passing plays. Going back to last season it seemed as though any team with a half-decent running back could run at will against the defense. What makes Tomlinson so important to this team is his presence in the middle.
If Tomlinson is able to provide the run-stuffing ability, the Browns will not only be ranked as one of the best pass-defensive teams but a top defense in the league. Having a top-ranked defense is going to help you win those bad-weather games later in the year, and a must-have if you want to beat the top teams in the AFC
7. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR
Amari Cooper has proven himself to be a WR1 and a top receiver over his eight-year career in the NFL, and the front office has high hopes for Elijah Moore this upcoming season. However, all eyes are on Donovan People-Jones with high aspirations that he will emerge as a future WR1 with Watson under center.
DPJ has looked good in his three years on the Browns, but in his six games with Watson, he looks to be able to break through his ceiling and show that he is more than capable of being the top receiver in Cleveland's revamped offense.
With his contract ending after this season, the rise in wideout contracts, and the Browns limited cap space, he will have to prove to them that he is worth the money they will be spending to keep him.
He may be a cheaper and better long-term option than Cooper. On top of all this, you have to go back to the theme of winning, if you want to be a winning team in today's NFL you have to have an elite receiving core. DPJ building off of his breakout season will help other players succeed in our offense and should translate to more wins.
6. Anthony Walker/ Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB
I decided to put both Anthony Walker and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah here because I believe they will both have a similar impact and that they will be the top two linebackers on the roster this upcoming season.
A big theme that you may see concerning the Browns defense is their linebacker corps. The problem is they both missed significant time last year. However Walker was one of the top-ranked linebackers before he went down last season, and JOK is still very young and provides a lot of upside.
They are now going to be in a defense more suited to them with Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator, so we may finally see the JOK we have been waiting for. As mentioned before the Browns are a bottom-tier run defense. A linebacker's first goal is to stop the run, and in a Jim Schwartz defense, their job is going to be to clean up anything that makes it past the line of scrimmage.
This is why I believe they are some of the most important players on the Browns 2023 roster. We can be one of the top-ranked pass defenses, but if our linebacker play is second-rate then similar to last season they will lose games we should win because of an inability to stop the run.
5. Denzel Ward, CB
There aren't many defensive pieces more important than an elite corner in a pass-heavy league. Denzel Ward is a two-time pro bowler and a player this roster is grateful to have. Ward has continued to play at a high level and remains one of the best man coverage corners in football. He's finally in a defense where his skills will be showcased more than in recent years as Jim Schwartz loves to cater to the talent on his defenses and run man coverage.
Ward has either led or been tied for the most passes defended on the Browns since he was drafted and has the chance to set new career highs in pass breakups and interceptions with this new scheme. The Browns will be facing a slew of great receivers this year and you must have a player of Ward's caliber to stop them.
Having Ward in a defense that he will be able to make more plays on the ball is something that you want to see. In a recent interview, Ward even hinted toward being moved around the defense a lot more instead of a primarily outside role.
The importance of Ward on this team cannot be overlooked, even with Newsome and Emerson looking great in their short tenure with the team. They have not reached the level of play Ward continually brings to the field. Losing him for any amount of time would be detrimental to this defense.
4. Nick Chubb, RB
Nick Chubb has been one of the most important players on the roster. He's consistently great and arguably the best running back in the NFL. The numbers are the only proof you need when talking about how important Chubb is to this team.
He doesn't miss time, missing only six games in his career. The Browns also have a winning record when Chubb gets 13 touches a game, with the numbers getting better when you reach 15-20 carries a game.
The offense may not be as run-heavy in years past, but that does not mean Nick Chubb is any less important. If this offense is as good as it looks to be they will need Chubb to run out the clock if they jump out to a big lead, and be as good as he has in crunch time. Chubb will also be getting a higher percentage of carries on this team with the exit of Kareem Hunt.
If he can stay healthy as he has throughout his career we should see the same Nick Chubb we are used to and potentially a career year for him as well. As he will not be facing as many stacked boxes as he has in years past. I would expect a lot of explosive runs from him this year in our offense.
3. Grant Delpit, S
Grant Delpit is coming off a great 2022 campaign where he led the team in interceptions with four and total tackles with 105, along with also contributing 10 pass breakups while playing 100 percent of defensive snaps.
After missing his rookie campaign and only getting a little play time his sophomore year, we finally saw a glimpse of how good Delpit can be, which I believe is Pro-Bowl level. In the second half of last year is when he really found his stride and was playing at a high level.
What makes him so important to the team is not only the fact he led in two main defensive categories but his ability to cover the deep ball. Other than a few miscommunications last season, Delpit looked good in deep coverage, consistently making plays. In a pass-heavy league, Delpit helps provide game-changing plays to a Browns team that was middle of the pack when it came to turnovers.
The Browns have to compete with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, and the way to do this is to have a great passing defense and someone who can cover the deep ball and create turnovers. If Delpit can take that next step into elite-level play, he will be crucial in a playoff run and big games.
2. Myles Garrett, EDGE
Myles Garrett is undoubtedly the best defensive player on the team and arguably the best player period. He is what will make this defense a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and will single-handedly create turnovers for this team.
In recent years, Garrett has been the only way the defense gets pressures, sacks, and QB hurries. With the addition of Za'Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson, that should change, but that is not always the case as we saw with Jadeveon Clowney.
Speaking of these additions to the defense we could see a career year for Garrett, potentially seeing him finally finish as the league leader for sacks. However, if he were to miss serious time, the impact he brings to the team would be glaring even with the defensive additions this offseason.
To put in perspective how valuable Garrett is — not just to the defense but also to the team — since 2018 the Browns are 35-31-1 when he plays without him they are 4-10. Last year the Browns defense had 34 sacks good for 28th in the league. Garrett contributed 16 of them.
In terms of QB pressures, the Browns ranked 30th with 103 total pressures. 72 of them were from No. 95. If the Browns want an elite top-level defense the only way that is possible is with Myles Garrett doing what he does best.
1. Deshaun Watson, QB
Quarterback is the most important position in the sport. As Browns fans there is hope that Deshaun Watson will finally be the answer to the. continual quarterback problems.
If you don't have an elite — or at the very least a top-10 quarterback — chances are you most likely won't be competing for a championship. This is why Watson isn't just one of the most important players on the Browns 2023 roster, but is the most important player. If he plays at the level we hope the Browns will not just have the chance to be a playoff team but a contending team this season.
To be a team of consequence, Watson has to play at an elite level. If he fails to elevate his game from the small sample size we saw last year, Cleveland will probably not see any record with more than 7-8 wins. We have seen talented teams get top-tier quarterbacks, and that team drastically underperforms. Most recently we saw Russell Wilson with the Broncos and they lost more games than the previous season.
Watson showed flashes of his former self in his six games last season but to win big games Watson has to do more than just show flashes, he has to be an elite-level quarterback consistently to compete with the likes of Mahomes, Burrow, and Josh Allen in the AFC.
In training camp he has looked to return to the Deshaun Watson we expected to see, but it has to translate to the regular season against opposing teams at full speed. If it does, it will be a great year to be a Browns fan.