The Browns, everyone’s preseason darlings, feel too good to be true, but they have
no major weaknesses, a star at quarterback and many players with huge upsides.66
× THE OFFENSE LIVES UP TO THE HYPE.
Cleveland’s weapons fit well together.
Among the receivers, Odell Beckham Jr.
is dangerous in many ways, but especially
at the deep-intermediate levels, which
expands coach Freddie
Kitchens’s passing game.
Rashard Higgins also
has sound chemistry with
quarterback Baker May-
field, particularly on dig
and corner routes. Jarvis
Landry is unpolished but
tenacious underneath. And
Antonio Callaway presents
a terrifying vertical dimen-
sion. Aligning Callaway op-
posite Beckham occupies
both safeties, helping the
entire attack, including
tight end David Njoku and deceptively
fast and elusive tailback Nick Chubb .
× BAKER MAYFIELD IS AN MVP CANDIDATE.
The second-year QB extends plays with his
feet, but only when necessary, relying first
on his outstanding timing and accuracy,
especially on seam balls and under neath
throws from spread formations. More im-
pressive are the passes Mayfield does not
make; he has a veteran’s sense for gettingoff of bad reads. And when he does get
fooled into the occasional turnover, he
continues to be aggressive.
× GREG ROBINSON IS A WEAK LINK. When
this offense struggles, the left tackle is
usually involved. Yes, the No. 2 pick in
2014 was surprisingly reliable late last
season, but as happened in previous stops
with the Lions and the Rams, Robinson
ultimately proves to be a slow-twitch,
mentally unreliable pass-blocker.
× CLEVELAND HAS A TOP 10 DEFENSE.
This is a big leap for the NFL’s 30th-
ranked unit in 2018. Expect plenty of slot
blitzes because new coor-
dinator Steve Wilks loves
them and also because the
Browns don’t have a pure
inside cover guy. They do,
however, have a young
corner, Denzel Ward, who
can stay with quick receiv-
ers and another, second-
round rookie Greedy Wil-
liams from LSU, who—they
hope—can handle big re-
ceivers. Add in athletic
linebackers Joe Schobert
and Christian Kirksey, and
Wilks has the necessary back-end pieces
for his six-man zone coverages.
× MYLES GARRET T GOES OFF. Violent
hands, a sudden first step and flexible
hips translate to big production now that
Garrett , a third-year end, is surrounded
by stellar vets such as Olivier Vernon and
Sheldon Richardson. Almost half of Gar-
rett’s sacks come from inside, where he’s
a tick more explosive.WHAT LIES AHEAD
SI’S 2019
PREDICTION
11 – 5
2018 RECORD 7-8-1
SEP T. 8
VS. TEN
SEP T. 16
@ N YJ
SEP T. 22
VS. LAR
SEP T. 2 9
@ BAL
OC T. 7
@ SF
OC T. 1 3
VS. SEA
OC T. 2 0
BYE
OC T. 2 7
@ NE
NOV. 3
@ DEN
NOV. 10
VS. BUF
NOV. 14
VS. PIT
NOV. 24
VS. MIA
DEC. 1
@ PIT
DEC. 8
VS. CIN
DEC. 15
@ ARI
DEC. 22
VS. BAL
DEC. 29
Str @^ CINengt
hQB
12
RB
19
WR/TE
2
OL
19
FRONT 7
9
DB
16
NIC
K (^) C
AM
ME
TT/
DIA
MO
ND
(^) IM
AGE
S/G
ET
TY
IMA
GES
(^) (G
ARR
ETT
); (^) L
AUR
A (^) H
EA
LD