The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
BROWNS PREVIEW
Myles Garrett and the defense look to take a big step in 2021
Two years ago, fans were giddy for the start of the Browns season because Baker Mayfield broke the record for touchdown passes as a rookie in 2018. Freddie Kitchens, seemingly a genius as a playcaller when he was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season, fired up the fan base at his introductory news conference when he said, “If you don’t wear brown and orange, you don’t matter.”
We all know how that movie ended. The Browns finished 6-10 in 2019. Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey were fired.
Expectations are even higher this year. That 2018 finished 7-8-1, but it had been so long since the Browns experienced even modest success fans and the national media got carried away with how Mayfield took advantage of a weak schedule over the last seven games in which the Browns went 5-2.
The 2021 Browns are wiser, more mature and deeper. Head coach Kevin Stefanski, is the antithesis of Kitchens. Over and over, Stefanski says finishing 11-5 and beating the Steelers in a playoff game has no bearing on this season.
“We’re starting over at Square One,” he said at the beginning of training camp.
That isn’t exactly true. The entire coaching staff is back and so is the starting offense. Stefanski plus offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator Joe Woods are refining and expanding on what they coached last year.
“We certainly established an identity on offense, defense and special teams, but I truly do go back to every year stands on its own merits,” Stefanski said. “Just because you did it last year doesn’t mean you’re going to do it this year.”
Continuity is big for perennially successful teams like the Chiefs, Ravens and Packers and it should be big for the Browns this year now that they finally have it — big enough for them to finish 12-5 and win the AFC North followed by the Ravens (11-6), Steelers (7-10) and the Bengals (5-12).
There are some questions that must be answered, however:
• Will Odell Beckham Jr. be content being just one of many weapons? I don’t believe the offense is better without him, but nor do I believe Mayfield didn’t feel obligated to throw the ball to him last year when Beckham was covered and other receivers were open. Beckham has a way of complaining passively when he is unhappy with his production.
• Will rookie cornerback Greg Newsome and rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah be instant contributors? Will free safety John Johnson III be the huge upgrade over Andrew Sendejo the Browns are paying him to be? Will Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett be a fearsome twosome rushing the quarterback for 17 games?
The defense should force more than the 21 takeaways it made last year (11 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries) if the answer to all three questions is yes.
• Last but definitely not least, will Chase McLaughlin or whoever ends up as the kicker be ready for November, December and January weather at FirstEnergy Stadium? The answer to that question is two months away.
The Browns and Lions are the only teams that were around when the first Super Bowl was played on Jan. 15, 1967, to have never played in pro football’s most prestigious game. The Jaguars and Texans never played in a Super Bowl, either, but the Jags were an expansion team in 1995. The Texans started playing in 2002.
Cities don’t hold parades for Super Bowl losers. The Browns are built to win a championship this season or in 2022. By 2023, key players on the current team — wide receiver Jarvis Landry, left guard Joel Bitonio, running back Kareem Hunt, center JC Tretter and defensive back Troy Hill — could be gone without new contracts.
Right guard Wyatt Teller, middle linebacker Anthony Walker, wide receiver Rashard Higgins and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney are among players that will be free agents next March without new deals.
The coaching staff won’t be back intact for 2022 again if the Browns are successful in 2021. Teams needing new head coaches will swoop in to take away Woods or Van Pelt. Then they will take along the assistant coaches they think will help them most.
The countdown clock on the Browns’ chances to win their first championship since 1964 is ticking.