The long wait for the return of Cleveland Browns regular season football is nearly over with the September 10 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals looming. The roster was massively upgraded this offseason as Andrew Berry understood where the holes on this roster were and attacked them. When you look at the defensive line you see a unit with a massive amount of talent after last year was just Myles Garrett and a bunch of guys.
As it has been said all offseason long this year will hinge on the play of Deshaun Watson. The offensive line is healthy and he has been given plenty of options at wide receiver and tight end so there are no excuses left he has got to perform.
Buy Browns TicketsFans should be encouraged that Watson can bounce back as he looked significantly better in training camp and limited reps in the preseason. Now with the season a little over a week away it is time for some bold predictions for the 2023 Cleveland Browns season.
Deshaun Watson breaks Cleveland single season passing yardage and touchdown records
The current records for the team are both held by Brian Sipe during the 1980 season when he threw for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns. The team has tailored this offense to Deshaun Watson and his skill set and the team’s success offensively is squarely on his shoulders.
We have seen flashes from Watson in the preseason and camp that show he is still the talented player he was in Houston. The team has taken input from Watson on how the offense will run as he and head coach Kevin Stefanski seem to be in sync.
With Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, David Njoku, and the rest of the talent on offense there is no reason Watson can’t throw for well over four thousand yards and more than 30 touchdowns. Unless Watson looks like the rusty player he was last year this offense will be successful because they are incredibly talented on paper.
Myles Garrett breaks his own record totaling 20 or more sacks
Myles Garrett didn’t get much help last year and was double and triple-team all year and still had 16 sacks. Though he didn’t play in the preseason his new teammates showed that even without him they could pressure the quarterback.
It will be really hard to send two or three blockers at Myles Garrett every rep with Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo on the line with him. There is just so much talent on the defensive line with a competent secondary behind them which leads to more opportunities for Garret.
The team also had no threat from the defensive interior and they brought in two great starters Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris who can also get after the quarterback. Though Garrett remains the best player on that line he should draw less attention at times and that leads to a real shot at being the defensive player of the year.
Jim Schwartz leads the defense to a Top 10 ranking
There have been plenty of people who have said that one of the biggest additions to the Browns this year is defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Andrew Berry helped plug most of the holes on defense but you still need a great leader to put it all together and that is just what Schwartz is.
His proven track record speaks for itself but you can see the differences in this year’s defense already. Schwartz has talked about playing fast and aggressive and you’ve seen that in the preseason. The player’s strengths on defense match up well with Schwartz’s scheme and it could lead to an impressive season for the team’s defense.
The Browns will win 12 games in 2023
It’s cliche and everyone has been saying it but this is by far the most talent Cleveland has had since the return in 1999. Now they need the talent to translate into wins on the football field. Kevin Stefanski has shown a willingness to change his offensive scheme to tailor to the skill set of his players which is a must for a successful season.
Deshaun Watson is by far the most talented quarterback to play for Stefanski and the explosive weapons of Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin will finally give Stefanski the vertical weapons he has lacked.
It’s no longer a one-dimensional offense that leans on the run game with average wide receivers that need to be schemed open. All of the excuses are behind this team and everything is in front of them for a 12-win season.
