The Browns spent the offseason tearing things down and putting them back together, but the national buzz still hasn’t caught up.
Cleveland entered the summer with a long list of departures. Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, David Njoku, Martin Emerson, Devin Bush, Jerome Ford and others are gone, and the front office has tried to answer with free-agent additions, the draft and a trade. The result is a rebuilt offensive line and a younger wide receiver room, even if the quarterback situation remains unsettled.
There’s also a new voice in charge of the offense. Swapping in HC Todd Monken should at least give the Browns a different look than the one former HC Kevin Stefanski ran.
Still, the roster churn hasn’t changed how outsiders view Cleveland. In Bleacher Report’s latest national NFL power rankings, the Browns land 30th out of 32 teams, with only the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals sitting below them.
The evaluation isn’t exactly glowing, but it does leave room for a little intrigue. The write-up notes that the club needs its new starting offensive line to jell over the summer, and it also says the defense could take a step back after trading star edge rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for edge rusher Jared Verse and three early-round draft picks over the next three years.
Not everything in the ranking is bleak. Bleacher Report pointed to the fresh start under Todd Monken and his staff, while also acknowledging that expectations are low.
“New head coach Todd Monken and his staff have a lot to figure out before Week 1 of the upcoming season. Our analysts don’t expect much from the Browns, but this team could be fun to watch with young new faces in key positions.”
That last part is where Cleveland is trying to sell the season: young players with upside, enough to keep fans engaged and something to build on later.
The rest of the AFC North didn’t fare much better in the rankings. The Pittsburgh Steelers came in at 19, the Cincinnati Bengals at 15 and the Baltimore Ravens at 13, leaving all three outside the top 10.
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The quarterback question, though, was still sitting right there in the same exercise. Cleveland later used a pick acquired from the Rams in the Myles Garrett trade on Drew Mestemaker, a reminder that the search for a long-term answer under center is far from over. Mestemakers path has been anything but typical, and his rise only adds to the intrigue around a Browns offense that could use both a blue-chip target and a younger developmental option. [Read more 🡒]
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Browns Fans Face An Uncomfortable Cornerback Question Right Now
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Arnold has already been in front of the Houston Texans and has more workouts lined up with the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, which only adds to the sense that a market is forming even before any team publicly shows its hand. For the Browns, the question is less about whether another corner could help than whether this is the kind of situation they are willing to entertain at all, especially with no official interest confirmed and the off-field backdrop still hanging over the players next move. [Read more 🡒]