2019 NFL Power Rankings: Who heads into summer at No. 1?
By Ian Cummings
No. 7 – Cleveland Browns
Something’s cooking in the kitchen.
Apologies for being the 347,918th person to use that joke, but it fits well. Once merely a family-owned burger joint with flags from the health inspector, the Browns have morphed into an ascending titan of the restaurant industry. And they’re cooking up a mean Sunday surprise this fall.
Where does one begin, when talking about the complete transformation the Browns have undergone over the past year and a half? Baker Mayfield is the team’s fiery, talented franchise quarterback, with all the traits necessary to be a top NFL quarterback in a number of years. Freddie Kitchens is Mayfield’s aptly-named offensive confidant and head coach, who engineered Mayfield’s emergence in 2018, and now he has offensive genius Todd Monken in his corner as well.
Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Antonio Calloway, and David Njoku are just a few weapons Mayfield will have the pleasure of utilizing in 2019, and his offensive line is respectable, with the potential to be a stout unit down the road. On defense, the Browns are almost as exciting, with talents like Myles Garrett, Sheldon Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi, Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and Damarious Randall headlining a unit on the rise.
All across the board, the Browns aren’t just better; they’re contenders to take the AFC North crown. And just like a cooked-to-perfection, medium-well steak, expect playoff success for the Browns to be very much on the table.