Oh boy. Where to start? The Cleveland Browns are undoubtedly the most difficult of the 32 NFL teams to preview for the 2022 NFL season. If controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson misses only the first 6 games of the season, the rest of the roster still has enough talent to get the team to the playoffs and beyond when he is able to play. If the NFL’s appeal in his case for violating the league’s personal conduct policy turns 6 games into a double-digit number or the whole season, things would look very different.
The Browns had looked a franchise on the rise when reaching the divisional playoffs in 2020, but things went badly wrong in 2021, with disgruntled players, Covid outbreaks at just the wrong time and quarterback Baker Mayfield playing hurt for the majority of the season. The club retains one of the strongest rosters in the league with a dominant the offensive line, elite running-back room and classy cornerbacks, but pretty much everything hinges on what happens in the Watson disciplinary case.
Cleveland Browns breakdown
2021 record: 8-9
2021 ATS record: 7-10