When it comes to the AFC North, there is one team who has reserved their spot at the bottom of the rankings. The Cleveland Browns have made it to the playoffs one time since they re-started their franchise in Cleveland and that was 15 years ago. Last year, the Browns had the worst record in the NFL and they got a lot of draft picks as a result. With Cleveland getting high grades on their 2017 NFL Draft, they hope to improve in the 2017 Nfl Season but it won’t be easy. With the NFL training camps starting this week, here is a look at the 2017 Cleveland Browns preview.
Browns offensive breakdown
There is no telling who will start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns this season. The Browns traded for Brock Osweiler from the Houston Texans but were more interested in the draft picks they got rather than Osweiler. Despite that, Brock will get a chance to win the starting job but he has to beat out both incumbent quarterback Cody Kessler and rookie DeShone Kizer. None of those players strike fear into opposing defenses.
At running back, Isaiah Crowell, at the age of 24, looks to be a possible star in the Browns’ backfield but he still needs to work on areas of his play. He wants a big contract but hasn’t earned it yet, running for 952 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
It was his play at the end of the season that was impressive and if he continues that through the entire 2017 NFL season, he might finally earn that contract. Duke Johnson is also on the roster and is a great pass-catching back.
Corey Coleman was the top receiver drafted in 2016 and can be an NFL star if he gets a decent quarterback to throw him the ball.
With bad quarterback play in 2016, Coleman only finished with 33 receptions for 413 yards. The best receiver from 2016, Terrell Pryor, is gone via free agency, and Coleman will try to be the No. 1 man this year with Kenny Britt and rookie David Njoku at tight end, vying for catches.
Browns defensive breakdown
The Cleveland Browns have a former head coach in Gregg Williams as their new defensive coordinator and he has every intention of turning this team around.
Overall No. 1 pick Myles Garrett will step right in as a defensive line starter and will hope to change the mentality of those players around him. Joining him are two other first round picks in Danny Shelton (2015) and Emmanuel Ogbah (2016) and a second round pick in Nate Orchard (2015).
At linebacker, Williams wants former New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins to step into a leadership role and the Cleveland Browns gave him a four-year deal to show their faith in him. In the secondary, Joe Haden has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL but needs to step up and prove he is still worthy of that praise in 2017.
Browns 2017 NFL prediction
The Cleveland Browns made a lot of big moves in the offseason, including having a great 2017 Nfl Draft showing.
However, the Browns will still finish at the bottom of the NFL in 2017 and will have another high draft pick next year. Until the Browns find a franchise quarterback, they will not win but they seem only that one position away from starting to compete once again in the NFL.
