As training camp approaches at the end of July, the Cleveland Browns are heading into Year 2 of their rebuild with more questions than answers. Myles Garrett is in Inglewood, former head coach Kevin Stefanski is in Atlanta, and the Browns have turned the page to Todd Monken as their new head coach. The sportsbooks have set Cleveland’s win total at 5.5, which fits the picture of a young roster trying to find its footing.
This is a team built around uncertainty. The offense is young.
The defense is young. And the head coach is still an unknown because of his lack of experience in the job.
That’s why the idea of the Browns making a run at a playoff spot belongs in the unrealistic category. Before Cleveland traded Garrett, a wild card push in the AFC at least lived in the realm of possibility.
There was enough there to imagine a surprise: explosive pieces on offense, Garrett anchoring the defense, and a schedule that looked manageable. But that picture has changed.
In the current AFC landscape, the Browns are nowhere near a playoff contender. There are simply too many unknowns on both sides of the ball.
The offense is where the uncertainty starts, especially at quarterback. Cleveland has playmakers and youth, but not much clarity under center.
The defense has talent too, but it no longer has a true alpha leading the way after Garrett’s departure. And Monken, for all the intrigue, is still a first-time head coach.
A more realistic expectation is that the offense will need time before it starts to click. Installing a new system is never a quick fix, and this one comes with a steep learning curve.
The playbook terminology has to be absorbed, and with the offensive line being revamped, there are a lot of moving parts. Expecting immediate fireworks would be setting the bar too high.
Monken is expected to bring over elements of what he ran with the Baltimore Ravens, leaning heavily on play-action and the run game. The passing attack figures to take longer to come together, but the ground game will be the real measuring stick for this offense. How well Cleveland runs the ball will go a long way toward determining the ceiling of the unit, especially once the season moves into the second half.
The first six weeks could be rough before the Browns settle into something more consistent later in the year.
As for the bigger picture, a realistic finish has Cleveland picking toward the top 10 of the NFL Draft rather than the top 3. On paper, the Browns are not as bad as they were entering last season.
The offensive line and receivers look better on paper, but the quarterback spot remains unsettled. Defensively, losing Garrett was a major hit.
Even so, there are still young pieces to build around, including defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker/defensive rookie of the year Carson Schwesinger, and defensive end Jared Verse.
In Other News...
Browns 53 Man Projection Leaves One Camp Battle Feeling Wide Open
Rookies reported to Browns training camp on July 23, with veterans due in by the following Tuesday, and that timing has already pushed roster talk into overdrive. With camp opening, a fresh 53-man projection gives a first real look at how the Browns could line up on offense, defense and special teams after a busy offseason, while also highlighting how much can still change before the final decisions are made.
The exercise is especially useful because it forces a closer look at the battles that still feel unsettled, even as the roster picture starts to take shape. The projection also has to account for the Myles Garrett trade, which changes the conversation around the defense in a major way, and it leaves plenty of room for fans to weigh in on which players belong and which spots are still up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken Could Finally End One Browns Habit Fans Hate
Todd Monkens arrival as the Browns offensive coordinator brings a familiar question with it: can he help fix the kind of sluggish starts that have too often put Cleveland behind before the game really settles in? In Baltimore, Monken helped guide an offense that was among the leagues better early-game units, and that matters for a Browns team that has spent too much time digging out of first-quarter holes.
Personnel and context are different in Cleveland, of course, but the appeal is obvious. Monkens track record suggests the Browns may finally have a coach whose preparation and opening-script work can change the tone of Sundays, and if that carries over, one of the most frustrating habits around this team could become a lot less familiar. [Read more 🡒]