Who will be the 2019 Cleveland Browns of 2020? Part 6 The Verdict.
What constitutes being the 2019 Cleveland Browns of 2020?
Last year the Browns were underwhelming, to say the least. Baker Mayfield’s Sophmore slump, Odell was disappointing, the Myles Garrett incident and Freddie Kitchens being fired after 1 season. In the 2019 Preseason, the Browns were dubbed to win the AFC North, potentially the AFC and possibly the Superbowl. This is who, once and for all, I think is going to be that team. The nominees are:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers- It’s all on Brady
If Brady does well then the Buccaneers do well. I think it is as simple as that. Tampa’s Superbowl hopes rest on Brady. If Brady plays like he did last year the Buccs won’t make the playoffs. They don’t have New England’s defence or New England’s coaching staff.
This season could potentially be really damaging for Tom’s career. He signed a two-year deal. This leads me to believe he and Gronk are in Tampa for two years then they will retire off into the sunset. Gronk is back because Brady asked him to be, not to spend another 6 years in the NFL. Brady goes and Gronk will go too. How probable is it, that the Buccs don’t make the playoffs this year? I think it’s 50:50 They could get 6–10 or 13–3 and anywhere in between.
The Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are in a fragile position. A Sophomore QB, defence on the rise, a new Superstar Receiver all potential things that could cause a problem. They are in a tough division with 2 other Superbowl contenders and a Rams team who can still compete. I can’t see the Cards winning the NFC West. They are not quite at the level of the Seahawks and 49ers.
The Denver Broncos.
They are in a division which the Cheifs will win providing Mahomes and their other stars aren’t injured. So they have to get one of 3 wildcard spots in the AFC.
This already makes it infinitely harder for them to make the playoffs. Drew Lock was great towards the back end of last year. But so was the rest of the Broncos squad. Every expert has the Broncos as their “sleeper team” this means they think they are the team that everyone thinks will sneak into the playoffs under everyone’s nose. But I don’t necessarily agree with them.
The Tennessee Titans
There are so many variables with the Titans. Tannehill can be injury-prone. What is going on with Derrick Henry’s contract? The defence is a bit of a miss-match. It is all up in the air down in Nashville. The Titans are in a weaker division with no clear favourite. The Texans are great with Deshaun Watson but have very little else, there is also the Colts who are on the rise. Look out for an article on that in the coming days on Chewing the Pigskin.
The Cleveland Browns
The Browns could easily miss the playoffs again. They won’t win the division so they are in the same position as the Broncos. They are competing for 3 spots with 8 teams. I don’t like those odds. They have a QB in Baker who is at a crossroads. I think if the Browns go less than 6–10 again this year he could be back up next season but if he can make the playoffs he could become a great player for the Browns to build a future around.
The Final Verdict
The team who I think will disappoint this year is….. The Denver Broncos
I don’t trust Drew Lock at all and the supporting cast is improved but it’s nothing like the Titans, Texans, Colts, Bills, Ravens or even the Browns. I’m sorry Broncos fans it’s what I think will happen. Though it is the very nature of this series that I could be completely wrong. Any other team in this series could be this team. Don’t go buying your Lock jersey just yet, because next year you may be buying a Justin Fields one.
If you missed any of the other episodes click here to find them.
