Cleveland Browns: 3 Moves That Must Be Made Before Next Season
By Kyle Edmond
Three moves the Cleveland Browns must make between now and next season.
The Cleveland Browns came into the 2021 season with high expectations. The team showed massive improvement during the 2020 season by not only making the playoffs, but winning a game in the playoffs as well. Following the strides of the 2020 season, Cleveland went out and added more pieces to the team, like Jadeveon Clowney and Greg Newsome II. However, those additions are taking to time to translate into wins.
A 4-3 start is something most Cleveland fans would have given nearly anything for just a few short seasons ago when the team was on a 1-31 skid between 2017 and 2018. However, that 4-3 start is still short of expectations that many had for Cleveland.
The losses have come against difficult opponents in the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals and the first two were by slim margins. The worry is that even the wins have left fans holding their breath. Besting the Denver Broncos by just three, even if it was without the team’s quarterback, top two running backs and starting right tackle, is enough to stress over.
The good news for Cleveland is that this resurgence is still in the early stages of development. Baker Mayfield will still be at an affordable price through the 2022 season before his next deal kicks in, saying that there is one. Until then, Cleveland can continue to invest in one-year deals to bridge the gap until the younger talent added is ready to take over.
So with that in mind, what moves does Cleveland need to make in the next year to get over the hump? These moves could be made during the season or wait until the offseason, depending on how the front office views the urgency. The key is that they need to happen sometime between now and the kickoff of the 2022 season if the Cleveland Browns want to make their first ever Super Bowl.