The Cleveland Browns went 11-6, finished in second place in the AFC North and made the playoffs last season. Yes, they were blasted by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, but all things considered, it was a successful 2023 campaign.
Remember: Deshaun Watson dealt with injuries throughout the year and ultimately bowed out with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10. The Browns ultimately shuffled through five different starting quarterbacks before finally settling on Joe Flacco.
Gone is Flacco, and Watson seems to be well on his way to returning in Week 1 after undergoing surgery. Cleveland is rife with talent on both sides of the ball and is bringing back the No. 1-ranked defense from last season.
However, former NFL general manager Randy Mueller isn't so sure that the Browns will even be as fruitful as they were this past year.
"Ultimately, the Browns might be as good or better than last season (when they went 11-6), but in this brutal division, it might not translate to results unless the QB takes a big step," Mueller wrote for The Athletic.
So, to be clear, Mueller thinks Cleveland may be more talented than it was a year ago, but that the difficulty of the division may make it difficult for the club to replicate its 2023 success.
That definitely isn't an outlandish assessment.
Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers should be better in 2024 based on their quarterback situations alone.
Joe Burrow began the 2023 campaign with a calf issue which hampered him for the first several weeks and then was lost for the season due to a wrist injury in Week 11. He should be ready for the Bengals' 2024 season opener. Meanwhile, the Steelers have completely revamped their quarterback room, going from the unenviable triumvirate of Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph to Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
To be fair, one can make the same argument in favor of the Browns. After all, Watson played six games last season. However, the 28-year-old also has participated in a grand total of 12 games the last three years and hasn't been truly effective since 2020. Four years is an eternity in the NFL, so Cleveland has to deal with the very real possibility that Watson will never regain his previous form.
Winning 11 games is tough for any NFL squad. Let alone one that plays in the best division in the sport. The AFC North sent three teams to the playoffs in 2023, and every club within the division finished over .500.
It will certainly be an uphill battle for the Browns come September.
