PFF ranks the 2020 Browns as the most improved offensive line in the NFL, which should surprise no one.
The fact is, it will also be one of the best lines in football too, with Pro Bowl caliber talent at four positions.
Obnoxiously, the Steelers and Ravens are right there with them, and the Bengals are closing in.
Right Guard Larry Warford is reportedly seeking 7 mil/year, and the Browns have to consider that, since it would give the Browns Pro-Bowlers at all five positions.
Bill Callahan seems to like the four in-house RG contenders he already has (for this wide zone scheme), and pundits are debating about whether or not Warford would be worth an extra 6+ mil/year over Teller or Forbes.
This question really answers itself. Warford would be worth that much to a conventional G-power team, but not to the 2020 Browns. They'll need that money for a Matthews, Griffen, or Clowney now, and Garrett et al later.
Forbes fits the zone scheme better than Teller, and Nick Harris could surprise everybody and strike a blow for short people everywhere.
(Yeah I dismissed him as a guard myself, but now can't think of why--aside from repeating what somebody else said. Why would a guard need to be taller than a center in a wide-zone scheme?)
Chad Porto begs to differ with Walter Football ranking the Browns 14th, and for once I can't find much to correct, so I'll just "dass right!" this article.
Chad lists several teams that Walter ranked ahead of the Browns and dings them, legitimately. The Giants, Eagles, and Broncos probably shouldn't be ahead of the Browns, and the STEELERS?
I do need to correct Chad about Big Ben's age here: He's 837, not 838, years old.
Yes, the Browns are 1-2-1 vs the Steelers over the last 2 seasons and yes, it's almost insane to expect a 39 year old beat up Quarterback to be as good as ever coming off a severe throwing arm injury!
Their running backs are so-so and their defense has holes. The Browns have upgraded a LOT more than the Steelers over this offseason too.
Check out those teams: The Cowboys and Steelers are there because of their reputations, and the Eagles off a Superbowl a couple years ago and Carson Wentz.
I get that a lot of these pundits can't put too much faith in Baker Mayfield after 2019 (and make no mistake: that's the number one reason people like Walter rank the Browns 14th instead of in the top 10):
PFF takes no prisoners, and grades Baker at the bottom from a clean pocket in 2019! And wow--that S U C K S ok? And if you're not a Browns fan, you're not exactly all-in on this third year short Quarterback.
Denver has Drew Lock, Indi now has Rivers, and Tampa just got Brady, and all 3 teams are probably ranked ahead of the Browns almost exclusively based on those guys vs Mayfield.
(I'm with Chad on the Big Ben Cult, too, but some of these Sheeple would rank the Steelers ahead of the Browns even without him).
Let's be clear: Baker Mayfield ran an Air-Raid offense in college and ranked at the top in yards per-attempt and completion percentage while spreading the ball around to whichever receivers happened to be available that game or season.
When he took over for Tyrod Taylor in 2018, he basicly did the same thing, and we saw Njoku emerge, Higgins prosper, and we came to expect a TD inside the 20, a conversion on 3rd down, and a big play when we saw Mayfield running out of the pocket-like Aaron Rodgers.
That is the real Baker Mayfield.
The beauty of this is, Kevin Stefanski can make his offense work with a game manager. Like Case Keenum.
Kirk Cousins isn't as talented as Baker Mayfield. He isn't as accurate, doesn't have the same arm, isn't as athletic or accurate on the move, or as instinctive.
But Cousins outshone every other QB not named Jackson in 2019 in Stefanski's offense (missing Adam Thielen for over half a season).
In 2020, Baker Mayfield will be handing off around half the time. When he isn't, he'll be moving with the ball (ie not standing where the passrushers want him to stand...still...) half the remaining time, or getting RID of it within 3.5 seconds on the one out of 4-5 snaps that he's actually in an actual pocket.
(*Mayfield was a pocket passer in college--Air Raid and all. Gregg Cossell said that less than 10% of his pass plays were "off-script", or on scrambles. He was decisive and quick*)
Kevin Stefanski must think he died and went to heaven. He has all the tools to run the offense he ran in Minnesota, but with better depth at TE and RB, and with a Quarterback who can win a "shoot-out" or come from behind if neccessary.
The Mayfield-doubters are myopic, and don't seem able to consider the Stefanski scheme and Baker Mayfield in the same context.
I mean...you don't think Mayfield can even be a game manager anymore after one crappy year!?! You don't think he can just barely surpass Case Keenum anymore?
How can you like Kevin Stefanski and the Shanahan offense so much and expect the 2019 Mayfield instead of the 2018 Mayfield in that scheme? Knock-knock anybody HOME in there!?!
Anyhow on this planet the 2020 Browns are obviously a top 10 team. They have a top 5 Offensive Line, top RBs, top 3-4 TE/WRs, top 10 defensive line, top 5 secondary, and (yes) above average Linebackers too (with top 5 Special Teams units)--
How can you rank all that behind the Broncos, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, and Steelers!?!
Because you think Baker Mayfield will screw the other 21 guys up!!! Because you think Lock, Prescott, etc are MUCH better than Mayfield is--
I'm sorry: I try to be fair but this is idiotic, ok?
If all you do is compare Quarterbacks, you're a simpletonian. If it's Brees vs Rodgers or Rodgers vs Mahomes or Mahomes vs Jackson or Jackson vs Big Ben you spend all your time handicapping the quarterbacks against eachother, and all but ignore the OTHER 21 PLAYERS behind those guys!
Listen: Rodgers is going to LOSE a bunch of those because of HIS other 21 guys, and Jackson/Mahomes will win more because of theirs DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Now, let's act stupid and say that Baker Mayfield is in between the 2018 and 2019 iterations, which would make him a little above average in his third season in Stefanski's offense with Hooper/Conklin/Wills oh#!\*÷+$¥@! who with a freaking BRAIN could ohhhmmm...ohmmmmm....
Mayfield aside, who has a better offensive line? I say not more than 3-4 teams (if any).
Wide Receivers? About the same, or fewer.
Running Backs? NOBODY. The 20 Browns have Chubb AND Hunt don't even start, ok?
Tight Ends? No more than 4 teams. (NO NFL team has better DEPTH at Tight End, but I gotta give Ertz/Kittle/Kelce their props).
...and under Kevin Stefanski, you don't think Baker Mayfield can stand and deliver 20-25% of the time and...
What do you think he's on drugs or something? He really wants to be an actor, cuz--you know--the commercials? He's sick of football? He's been faking it all along?
Idjuts. Baker Mayfield (wins aside) will focus on one obvious goal: To be better than Kirk Cousins was in 2019.
Cousins had a great arsenal at his disposal, starting with Dalvin Cook, who is a lot like Alvin Kamara.
Mayfield has Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt instead (poor guy!)
But the dynamic is different here: Hunt is too damn lethal to park on the bench, and Chubb has to play too. The combination is more physical than Cook...
Dalvin Cook is a bigger playmaker than Kareem Hunt, but is smaller and weaker, and no better as a receiver. The 2019 Vikings offense relied on Dalvin Cook, and used a Fullback and/or 2nd Tight End to---
Nevermind: The 2020 Browns' offensive skill players are much different than Stefanski's 2019 Vikings.
Kareem Hunt looks like a kind of utility guy who will end up in the slot a lot but outside occasionally but also lead-block and pass-block--no such thing with the '19 Vikings.
The 19 Vikings had 2 Tight Ends. Not 3.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are "bell-cow" running backs. Dalvin Cook is NOT.
***I want to see Kevin Stefanski adapt this offense to these personnel. I assumed that Hue Jackson would, but...well I just hope Stefanski will keep his best players on the field, no matter how they're labelled*
Kareem Hunt has to be on the field at all times, along with Nick Chubb. One Tight End is mandatory too, and this leaves Landry and OBJ and I hope that Kevin Stefanski doesn't bench his best players so he can get that 2nd or third TE out there just cuzz...
So far, it looks to me like Stefanski is competent.
Let's hope so I HAVE SPOKEN
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