The Cleveland Browns surprised the NFL in 2023 by earning the top wildcard spot in the AFC, despite going through five quarterbacks and being without Nick Chubb for practically the entire season.
They leaned on their defense, which was the best in the NFL last season, and got a surprise boost from Joe Flacco, who was signed in early December and helped the Browns’ offense find a degree of explosiveness.
With Flacco gone, and Deshaun Watson returning from injury, Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports says there is a path where the Browns win even more games than they did in 2023.
“If this Browns team gets top-10 quarterback play from Watson, they could improve by a few wins, and that's saying something after they won 11 last season,” Schwab wrote. “Everything else around Watson, including a two-time NFL Coach of the Year in Kevin Stefanski, is championship level. The main reason the Browns are not higher in the Super Bowl odds is Watson, and we're talking about a quarterback who was once elite and isn't 30 yet. If Watson is even average, the Browns can win a tough AFC North and be a Super Bowl contender. If Watson is far better than average, Cleveland can be the best team in the NFL. That's the Browns' ceiling.”
The only thing standing between the Browns being a Super Bowl contender is high-quality quarterback play. If Watson provides that, watch out for the Browns.