Listen to NFL Vegas sharps RJ Bell and Steve Fezzik join Jonas Knox on ‘Straight Outta Vegas’ to preview the 14th ranked team on their 2020 win/total prediction rankings, the Cleveland Browns.
It seems like the summer of 2019 was a lifetime ago as the Cleveland Browns are a year removed from regrettably being a lot of people’s Super Bowl dark horses after the shocking trade for Odell Beckham Jr.
It took just one half of football for those pipedreams to vanish, as Cleveland was laughably clobbered in Week 1 by a Tennessee Titans team that was still trotting out Marcus Mariota at quarterback. The Browns were annihilated 43-13 in front of an embarrassed home crowd, who would then be witness to a 6-10 catastrophe.
Baker Mayfield led the AFC in interceptions and finished with the second worst passer rating in the NFL, Beckham Jr finished with a career low in receiving yards per game, Myles Garrett literally crushed someone’s skull with a helmet during a game, and rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens was dismissed after one clueless season. To say Cleveland’s 2019 campaign wasn’t one of the most embarrassing NFL seasons in recent memory is an understatement.
The Browns haven’t finished over .500 since 2007, the longest active streak in the league, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2002, the longest active streak, and haven’t won their division since 1989, also the longest active streak.
In the offseason the Browns notably added quarterback Case Keenum from the Redskins, tight end Austin Hooper from the Falcons, right tackle Jack Conklin from the Titans, defensive end Adrian Clayborn from the Falcons, linebacker BJ Goodson from the Packers, cornerback Kevin Johnson from the Bills, cornerback Karl Joseph from the Raiders, and safety Andrew Sendejo from the Vikings.
In the Draft the Vikings selected offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, Jr. From LSU in the first round, and fellow LSU teammate Grant Delpit at safety in the second round.
Key Cleveland losses included Demetrius Harris, Christian Kirksey, Joe Schobert, TJ Carrie, Morgan Burnett, and Damarious Randall.
The Browns OVER/UNDER for wins is 8.5, their odds to win the Super Bowl are 40/1, they’re 18/1 odds to win the AFC, 11/2 to win the AFC North, and +108 to make the playoffs.
Check out the entire segment above.