Are The Browns Playoff Contenders?

[BFritz21]

Have the Browns finally gotten over the hump and become playoff contenders?

ESPN thinks it's a possibility, and it's kind of hard to argue with their logic:

It looks like Hue is taking a page from Marvin's book and benching his #1 pick rookie QB in his rookie year and going with the veteran:

Quote:Enter Taylor.

The 28-year-old former Virginia Tech star racked up 65 touchdowns while throwing only 16 interceptions in his three-year stint in Buffalo. His 1.0 percent interception rate was best in the NFL last season, and his 1.3 percent rate over the past three trails only some guy named Tom Brady for best in the league. There are reasons why teams short on roster talent can sneak into a playoff spot (like the 2017 Taylor-led Bills and recently Alex Smith-led Chiefs). And limiting turnovers is the primary one.

It will be interesting to see if Taylor can repeat the success he had in Buffalo mixing rushing with passing, which I think he'll get killed if he tries to run in this division.

Left tackle could be a problem, but the rest of the line looks good:

Quote:It starts with the offensive line. The elephant in the room is the retirement of superstar left tackle Joe Thomas, which leaves the team a bit shaky with 2016 third-round pick Shon Coleman in Thomas' place. That's easily the weakest spot on the line. Right tackle Chris Hubbard was signed away from division rival Pittsburgh and is a solid presence opposite Coleman. Cleveland has invested a lot in the interior line and Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter and Kevin Zeitler are about as good as you'll find. Overall, Cleveland has a top-10 line.

A strong offensive line opens holes for backs and gives Taylor time to sit in the pocket and succeed.

Their receivers look talented if Coleman can live up to his potential and Gordon can keep his head out of his ass:

Quote:The offensive skill players are also better than we've seen in Cleveland in a long time. Josh Gordon has had his share of off-field issues, but the super-talented, 6-foot-3, 225-pound split end is still only 27 years old and has elite upside. Cleveland traded for slot man Jarvis Landry, who ranks third in the NFL with 400 receptions since entering the league in 2014. Corey Coleman has struggled as the team's No. 1 receiver, but the 2016 first-round pick is still only 23 years old.

There's more in the article, including tight end and a solid defense, so are the Browns contenders?

I guess we'll see as they play the Steelers in Cleveland in week 1.