The team is coming off a 1-15 season, and while there is some young talent coming on board, there is still a long road to hoe ahead. The Browns have to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in their division, each of whom have all made the playoffs in recent years.
The Browns will again have extremely long odds to win the division, and it’s nearly impossible to see it happening unless they find a quarterback and all three other teams are racked by injuries.
AFC North Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers +110
Baltimore Ravens +175
Cincinnati Bengals +250
Cleveland Browns +3300
Why the Cleveland Browns Will Win the AFC North
Allow us some eternal optimism for this section. DeShone Kizer has looked pretty good in the preseason, and maybe the second-round pick can come in as a rookie and have a Dak Prescott-like impact. Brock Osweiler has gotten his shot in the past, so if he is under center it’s hard to believe the Cleveland offense will be effective. Kizer was a bit raw coming out of Notre Dame but has a lot of tools that teams covet, and it’s possible he puts it all together quicker than most believed could happen.
Isaiah Crowell had a nice yards-per-carry average at running back in 2016 and if he can consistently churn out yards it will help shorten games and give the Browns a chance at upsets. The Browns’ most legitimate shot seems to be by improving by leaps and bounds on defense. The offensive line seems like it should be improved this season, and having a talented group there can make everything easier on offense.
They drafted Myles Gilbert with the No. 1 overall pick and added Jabrill Peppers early as well, and they hope to infuse the unit with talent. Jamie Collins is a proven piece while Joe Haden is aiming to shake off some injury-plagued seasons of late to return to being an upper-tier cornerback.
The biggest piece is Kizer. If he somehow bucks the odds and becomes a star quarterback, it would actually give the Browns a chance at winning a few games this season.
Why the Cleveland Browns Won't Win the AFC North
No matter how well the rookies come along, this team cannot just flip a switch. The Browns were the worst team in the NFL a season ago and still don’t have a quarterback in place.
Cleveland lost their best offensive player, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, in free agency this offseason, and while Corey Coleman has potential, there isn’t enough firepower at wideout. Cleveland seems like it has a good plan for the future, as it has stopped signing veteran free agents and has instead chosen to build through the draft by continually trading for picks.
The fruits of that labor should show up down the line, especially if players like Gilbert, Kizer and Peppers pan out. However, this is a wager that is talking about the 2017 season, and for now, the Browns are still in total rebuilding mode.
They will aim to make some improvement and it seems unlikely that only one win will again be the final tally, but asking to compete with the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals is completely out of the realm of possibility. The Brown have long odds to claim the AFC North this season but in reality they could be even longer.
If there was only one strong team ahead of them maybe it could happen if things went perfectly, but the Browns will watch their divisional counterparts battle it out for supremacy while they focus on smaller victories this year.
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