3 Bold Player Predictions for Browns in 2023
The Cleveland Browns currently have the most talented roster that they've had in a long time, at least on paper. Yes, this has been said before and those teams have managed to underachieve time and time again but this group seems different. Both sides of the ball display an overall sense of togetherness and the leaders of each position group are constantly working with the younger players off to the side. The guys look like they're having fun out there with each other and the coaches, but still show the requisite amount of discipline and hustle in individual and team drills.
This 2023 Cleveland Browns team has everything that it needs in order to be one of the top teams in the league. If Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz show even a minuscule amount of competency calling the plays, then these three bold predictions should have a great chance of becoming reality.
1. Deshaun Watson throws for 4,500+ passing yards.
Based on the way Watson looked and played throughout the final six games of the 2022 season, this prediction might look crazy. Though that's understandable, Deshaun Watson has quite a bit going for him heading into this season. This Cleveland offense is equipped with both the best overall group of pass-catchers and offensive line unit that he's ever had. These two simple facts are a huge reason to believe that he could have an incredibly productive year two in 2023.
Kevin Stefanski has been working with the rest of the offensive staff this offseason to find ways to adapt and tailor the offense to the strengths of Watson. In Houston, he constantly displayed an innate ability to anticipate routes and "throw" his receivers open with ease. In order to be successful with these types of schemes, you need to have pass-catchers that are great route runners and can create consistent separation.
It turns out that these are the exact types of receivers that he has in Cleveland. For instance, Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore are exceptionally twitchy and can be trusted to be where they're supposed to be at any given time. These attributes will allow Deshaun Watson to be more effective on those anticipation throws, which should lead to easy gains on a weekly basis. Stefanksi could merge some of his favorite play-action variations with different timing routes to take advantage of this concept.
This is just one example of how Cleveland might try to make things easier for Watson in 2023. Ultimately, they'll most likely incorporate a decent amount of the things that he did well in Houston, into their gameplan going forward. He should look a lot more comfortable going forward, which will most definitely lead to more production as well.
2. David Njoku catches 80+ passes.
Njoku had been fairly inconsistent throughout the first four seasons of his career in Cleveland in terms of his overall play. He initially had a problem with dropping passes which landed him in the coach's "doghouse" multiple times since being drafted in 2017. He has since put together two above average seasons in 2021 and 2022 in terms of his improved blocking ability and catch percentage. It seems like Njoku has finally shown the type of all-around play that it takes to be a productive NFL tight end in today's game.
Njoku could be primed for a career year in 2023 based on the simple fact that Cleveland is going to be relying on the passing game more than ever. He could be the main target in the Browns' "short yardage" passing game as well. Spread teams tend to utilize their passing game in short yardage and goal line situations as well as the traditional running game. He is the prototypical type of player that an offense wants to get the football to in these types of scenarios due to his size and athleticism.
If Njoku gets used in this way on top of a greater overall target share in general, then getting to 80 receptions shouldn't be that difficult of a feat in 2023.
3. Grant Delpit becomes a pro bowler.
Delpit had an extreme amount of hype coming out of LSU as one of the best safeties in the 2020 draft class. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles tendon during training camp of that same year, which lead to him missing his entire rookie campaign.
He played sparingly throughout the first half of the 2021 season but then started six out of the last seven games. During this stretch, he showed flashes of above average play against both the run and pass, but lacked overall consistency.
This has been the perfect way to describe Delpit throughout his three-year career in Cleveland so far. The inconsistency has been brutal but when he's flying around and making plays, he looks like the type of player that Cleveland thought they were getting when they drafted him. Delpit played extremely well throughout the last ten games of the 2022 season, which once again provides hope for the 2023 season in terms of him truly having a breakout year.
Box-type players like Delpit usually have success under Jim Schwartz because he allows his strong safeties to play more instinctively so they aren't at risk of overthinking their assignments. If he's able to be the "see-ball-get-ball" kind of safety that he truly is, then making his first pro bowl shouldn't be out of the question this year.
