6 Potential Pitfalls for Browns in 2021
Even with as much promise as the Cleveland Browns have as they prepare to enter training camp ahead of the 2021 season, there are areas of concern that the Browns hope to address, some that might even not be truly answered until later in the season.
The Browns may not be a perfect team, but they may have the answers on the team already to address all of these concerns. They may not be truly strong everywhere, but they have the ability to at least avoid having any glaring weaknesses, which might be enough to be a contender to win the Super Bowl.
The one caveat is that injuries will not be mentioned, because that's every team. Losing impact players to significant injuries that are the least replaceable is true of every team in every sport, even the Detroit Lions this year, so there's no sense dwelling on the point.
Otherwise, any of these six areas could limit what the Browns are able to achieve in 2021. Should they adequately answer all of them, it doesn't guarantee the Browns anything, but they would possess the ability to compete with anyone and have a legitimate shot at the title this year.
1. Odell Beckham doesn't work out
In a year and a half worth of games over two seasons, the combination that was going to transform this offense has not delivered expected. A dysfunctional 2019 season combined with a season-long groin issue muted Beckham's impact in his first year with the Browns. Then in 2020, poor play from Baker Mayfield early followed by the Beckham injury largely made last year a waste.
That doesn't mean Beckham hasn't had great games or flashes of what he could be as a member of the Browns. The game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 stands out the most as Beckham scored three touchdowns including the final one that sealed the victory. It just hasn't been the special connection environed when the move was made, where Beckham is one of the most dominant receivers, helping Mayfield to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
So there's worry that entering year three maybe these two just don't fit well together, which is possible, though unlikely.
Beckham is healthier. Mayfield is better. The Browns are far more functional and have continuity. Those are all important differences from the past two seasons. The Browns have a better coaching situation, plus some badly needed continuity in terms of their offensive scheme. Alignment with the front office also helps.
Beckham still possesses special ability. Mayfield has shown to be the focal point of the offense and elevate teammates around him. Improved chemistry should also prevent another year of disappointing returns.
Should the Browns get this solved, it could transform the offense in a way that nothing else can for this season.
2. Tight Ends don't produce enough relative to the rest of the offense
The Browns have terrific talent in their tight end room. Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant and Stephen Carlson are all pretty good players. They were terrific in blocking for the 2020 season, but the talent did not translate into enough receiving production.
During the regular season, the tight ends combined for 897 receiving yards, which is just 24.2 percent of the team total. Considering how much they utilize tight ends, often two at a time, that's not great.
In the teams two playoff games, that number increased slightly to 27.4 percent. The Browns may not have a hard and fast number they want to hit, but they certainly want to increase it. Had Beckham dominated in 2020, this would be far more understandable, but that didn't happen and the impact in the passing game from the tight end position was still low.
Austin Hooper had a poor year by his standards in receiving. Njoku had some terrific games, but his production over the season was underwhelming. Bryant overachieved for being a rookie but that didn't close the gap enough.
If Hooper simply regresses to the mean in terms of his catch percentage for his career and his average yards compared to his last three years with the Atlanta Falcons, he will improve substantially.
In four seasons with the Falcons, Hooper caught 77.3 percent of his targets. In 2020, he was down to 65.7 percent. Playing in the NFC South, often in domes likely contributed, but he simply wasn't as sharp in 2020.
A reduced offseason, learning a new offense and being limited in reps with his new quarterback did not help. Hooper knows the offense and has, will continue to get more reps with the quarterback, so he should improve.
Likewise, his yards per reception went from 10.5 in four season with the Falcons to 9.5 with the Browns. Spacing issues in Cleveland due to having limited vertical threats especially after the Beckham injury made this a major issue for 12 games in 2020.
Njoku needs to stay healthy and be consistent. His hands were dramatically better in 2020 particularly at the end of the year and through the playoffs. It's also likely that he will be used in a more dynamic role in 2021 because the Browns trust their offensive line and quarterback to protect, so they can flex Njoku out, send him deeper and take more advantage of his athleticism.
The fear with Njoku is that like heading into 2019, he will be unable to cash in on the previous year's growth. These were injury related issues as opposed to talent, however. From a talent perspective, even if the numbers aren't great, Njoku made huge strides as a player last year.
Bryant doesn't need to increase his workload necessarily, but simply continue to grow in his role and the production will come with it.
The blocking was outstanding last year, but they need more from this group in the passing game.
3. Pass rush doesn't deliver
Outside of Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon the second half of 2020, they got little from anyone else in terms of generating pressure that wasn't schemed, such as sending more guys than the opponent could block or catching them by surprise.
With Vernon gone due to the Achilles' injury he suffered, the Browns have only Garrett that is a genuine stud pass rusher. That's an incredible luxury to have as he's one of the best in the business, but they can't go into a game or a season and bank on production from anyone else. Not yet anyway.
That doesn't make Jadeveon Clowney any less special in terms of what he does, but he's also never had a double digit sack season or been a truly feared pass rusher. Takkarist McKinley has flashed remarkable ability to generate pressure, but was easily attainable in free agency because he hasn't been consistent.
Malik Jackson should be helpful, especially another year removed from an injury he was battling during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has been productive on the interior in that regard. The Browns will need him to be as he's replacing Sheldon Richardson, released by the team.
The Browns have intriguing young players they hope can contribute including Porter Gustin, Curtis Weaver, Jordan Elliott as well as rookies Tommy Togiai and Marvin Wilson.
As it stands right now on 3rd down-and-8, if Garrett isn't on the field, there really isn't a player that anyone can point to and say he's going to get to the quarterback.
That's the challenge that Chris Kiffin, the defensive line coach and Joe Woods, the defensive coordinator face heading into this season. The Browns could be effective getting after the passer, but aside from the impact of Garrett, it could largely be pressure by committee and the combination of talents rather than one particular individual that really thrives.
Thankfully, the Browns also have better depth than they did in 2020, so they won't experience quite as much of a drop off when Garrett isn't on the field.
Simply having better coverage should make a big difference. The quarterback may be forced to hold onto the ball longer, which will create more pressure and sack opportunities.
4. Linebacker issue not resolved
Oddly enough, the Browns got remarkable production out of the linebacker position in 2020, despite how clunky it looked going into the season. They had a Mack Wilson sized hole in that group which caused issues all season, but Malcolm Smith and B.J. Goodson were far better than expected. Smith is still on the Browns roster and the Browns have replaced B.J. Goodson with Anthony Walker, signed in free agency, to be at least part of the answer at MIKE.
Sione Takitaki improved, but it would help the Browns as well as his career prospects if he could be a more complete MIKE as opposed to being almost exclusively a SAM linebacker. He's great at SAM, but the Browns don't utilize the position consistently enough for him to only play that well.
Jacob Phillips dealt with injuries that limited his ability to help the team as a rookie, but he knows what he's looking at, reacts quickly. An offseason to increase his strength should be invaluable. He could earn much of the workload at WILL.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah adds another element, but just how much true linebacker he's going to play remains to be seen. He could be a terrific blitzer as well as improving the unit's coverage capability.
Even with everything the Browns have done this offseason to overhaul the defense, linebacker stands out as the weakest unit and raises the most questions. The good news is strong defensive line play can really elevate the play of the unit without additional talent.
Andrew Billings returning from opting out in 2020 is perhaps the biggest addition to the linebacker room despite the fact he plays nose. Billings does a tremendous job protecting the second level from having to work around or through blockers. That's a major focus for the defense this year.
The Browns hope to have three linebackers on the field far less often, but when they do, if they can put three competent players in the game, that would make a significant difference compared to last season.
5. Corners other than Denzel Ward struggle
Part of infusing talent into the secondary was drafting Greg Newsome in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. They still have Greedy Williams coming off of a shoulder injury that kept him out the entire 2020 season.
Should the combination of those two be unable to fill the boundary corner position opposite Denzel Ward, the Browns are going to be in some trouble. Signing Troy Hill was great for the Browns so long as he can play in the slot. That's where he's been great in the NFL. He's been decent on the boundary, but that's not where Browns want to have to play him.
The depth at corner for the Browns isn't proven either. A.J. Green was someone the Browns liked enough to sign to a guaranteed deal on par with a sixth round pick after the 2020 NFL Draft, but hasn't really played.
M.J. Stewart had some moments where he shined in the slot, but he's more of a tweener. He's going to struggle against smaller, twitchier receivers, so the idea of Hill of the boundary with Stewart in the slot is a band aid, not a solution.
The Browns have talent at the position and it's a possibility that the team will be figuring it out at that position perhaps a month or two into the season, but by the time the postseason rolls around, they need to have a firm answer opposite of Ward.
6. Baker Mayfield struggles
Certainly the most popular topic related to the Browns when it comes to the national media, the biggest potential pitfall for the Browns also might be the least likely to occur. Just how good Mayfield will play in 2021 is up for debate, but there's far more evidence he will be at least pretty good than there is he will struggle.
Mayfield was impressive in his rookie year, struggled in his sophomore season and then started out poorly in 2020 before finishing playing at an extremely high level in the playoffs. Every year, Mayfield was playing better at a higher level at the end of the year compared to the beginning.
The offense went from being Nick Chubb's offense early in the year to becoming Mayfield's in the playoffs. Chubb may be the superior player overall, but that's just the level of impact a quarterback has, be it positive or negative.
What's particularly impressive about Mayfield's 2020 season is he was able to play well with virtually nothing in terms of vertical threats. After Beckham went down for the year, the Browns were almost exclusively a horizontal passing game, which limited what the offense could achieve but also ramped up the difficulty for Mayfield. He was still able to succeed, both within the division as well as top flight opponents.
The argument against Mayfield is largely predicated on defenses catching up to Stefanski's offense rather than his ability. Beyond the fact Stefanski's offense isn't new as he ran it with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, they weren't firing on all cylinders in 2020. An abridged offseason forced them to install concepts on the fly as the season rolled along. They were also missing vertical threats much of the season and there's far more this offense can do with the tight end position than it has shown to this point.
Some of the offense hadn't been utilized simply because they needed Mayfield to continue growing. He was able to do that, operating effectively out of empty without extra blockers, which helps them to exploit some defenses including but not limited to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mayfield is the biggest key to the entire team, but it's more likely to be a question of how great he can be rather if he's going to be good versus bad as was the case in 2019 and the early part of 2020.
