Cleveland Browns Land On 'Most Overlooked' List For 2024

Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns are among the league's most overlooked teams.

Browns running backs coach Duce Staley, center, walks off the field with the running backs after minicamp practice, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Berea. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Heading into the 2024 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns are one of the teams that no one knows what to expect. They could end up being a serious contender in the AFC, or they could miss the playoffs.

While the national media hasn't made up their minds about what the Browns are going to be this season, the team is very confident in their ability to contend.

A lot of Cleveland's success, or lack thereof, will rely on the arm of quarterback Deshaun Watson. If he can rebound and get back to the form he was playing at when the franchise acquired him, the Browns have the chance to be a very dangerous football team.

On the other hand, if Watson continues down the road he has been on over the last two years, it could be a very long season.

Pro Football Focus recently created a list of the "most overlooked" teams in the NFL. They had Cleveland at the very top of the list.

"Headlined by Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and an edge defender who has earned a 90.0-plus pass-rush grade in each of the past five seasons, the Browns' roster was good enough to make the playoffs with a 38-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback down the stretch in 2023. If Deshaun Watson can even be a top-16 quarterback in the NFL in 2024, the Browns will make some noise."

From an all-around roster talent perspective, the Browns should be a very competitive team. They are stacked with talent, especially on the defensive side of the football.

Offensively, they have built well around Watson, but they need their franchise quarterback to produce. Amari Cooper is in the middle of a "holdout" as he waits for a new contract. Jerry Jeudy was acquired in an offseason trade and should make a very positive impact.

Nick Chubb is coming off of a gruesome knee injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely. He still has a ways to go before getting back on the game field, but he's making good progress.

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about Cleveland this season. If the team plays to its full potential, the playoffs are a very reasonable goal. In fact, they could even make some noise in the postseason.