Browns will make playoffs at 10-7 if they check these boxes | Jeff Schudel
Sep. 6—It would be difficult to name an NFL team that made more significant upgrades than the Browns did after the 2022 season.
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was fired after three years and replaced by Jim Schwartz. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer was dumped after three years and replaced by Bubba Ventrone.
The defensive line, receiving corps and secondary were improved. Most importantly, Deshaun Watson is in his second season and far more comfortable than he was in 2022 when he was preoccupied with serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. While that was going on, he was trying to get familiar with different teammates and a different city after four years in Houston. All those issues are behind him.
Simply put, the Browns have no more excuses to fail. This team is good enough to finish 10-7, and that should make them a playoff team. The Ravens and Chargers were playoff teams at 10-7 last year. The Dolphins were 9-8 and qualified.
The Browns will learn quickly enough how they stack up in the AFC North. They open at home with the Bengals on Sept. 10, play the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sept. 18 and then return to Cleveland Browns Stadium to host the Titans and Ravens. Four weeks into the season, they will be halfway through their division schedule.
"I think it's great," Coach Kevin Stefanski said. "You don't control the schedule. You're ready to play wherever they tell you to play. I think it's a unique thing to have the three division opponents in the first four weeks. We're the only team that has that in the NFL, and I look at it as a great opportunity."
The Browns have more talent and more depth than at any time since they played for the AFC championship in the 1986 and 87 seasons. Even so, several things must happen for them to be a playoff team.
—Watson has to stay healthy. The Browns are deep everywhere but backup quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was sharp in training camp and August games, but going into the season with a rookie as the only backup quarterback is risky.
—Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt must make full use of Nick Chubb. They can't fall in love with Watson so blindly that they diminish the value of one of the best running backs in the NFL.
—Za'Darius Smith has replaced Jadeveon Clowney as the defensive end opposite Myles Garrett. Smith is capable of double-digit sacks, and the Browns need that production from him. He is motivated by being on a one-year contract.
—Left tackle Jedrick Wills has to finish his blocks. There were times last season when he seemed to quit while the play was still unfolding. Not that Wills consciously blocked better for one running back than another, but if he had blocked better when Kareem Hunt carried the ball last year, Hunt might be on an NFL team now.
—Free safety Juan Thornhill has to make sure the communication in the secondary has no breakdowns. Miscommunication cost the Browns severely in several games last year.
—Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson will get the green light to rush the quarterback, but his first responsibility should be stopping the run. That's why the Browns gave the 325-pound defensive tackle a four-year, $57 million contract.
—Find creative ways to get Elijah Moore the football. He can line up in the backfield or as a receiver. He can catch a short pass in a tight space and turn it into a long gain.
A 10-7 record should make the Browns a playoff team, but from here it looks like another season will conclude without Cleveland playing for a championship. My crystal ball has the Cowboys beating the Ravens, 30-24, in Super Bowl LVIII.
