Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 58.2% of his passes and threw five interceptions in six games on the heels of an 11-game suspension and 700 days between starts. (AP photo)
CLEVELAND — The Browns are trying to make a leap this season.
They’ve gone 15-19 over the last two seasons, but they enter this year with high expectations to make the leap to Super Bowl contender. It’s a big leap, but they have their franchise quarterback for a full season and the talent is in place for them to make a run.
If they’re going to do it, they need some players to make leaps, too. We’re not just talking role players, we’re talking legitimate starters who have accomplished real things in the NFL.
The leap from where the Browns are to where they want to be is big, so they need everyone to find another level.
Here’s a look at offensive players at each position who need to make a leap.
Quarterback: Deshaun Watson
Is it make a leap or return to form? In the three seasons from 2018 to 2020, after Watson returned from his torn ACL in his rookie season, he completed 68.7% of his passes, threw for 12,840 yards and 85 touchdowns with a rating of 104.7. He added 1,408 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
This is why the Browns gave up three first round draft picks and gave him what is still the largest fully guaranteed contract in the history of the league.
The hope is last season was simply a footnote. Watson completed 58.2% of his passes and threw five interceptions in six games on the heels of an 11-game suspension and 700 days between starts.
Even if you believe missing nearly two years is too much for Watson to overcome and return to the elite level he was at in Houston, there’s no way the drop off is as steep as last season. Consider his second half in Washington in Week 17 when he completed 6 of 10 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. That was the Watson many expected and a glimpse of what this team needs him to be this season.
Running back: Jerome Ford
You can write Nick Chubb’s season in pen. He’ll break 1,000 yards, he’ll stiff arm defenders and he’ll remain the best runner of the football in the league.
Behind Chubb is Ford, the second-year back who is being asked to step into the role vacated by Kareem Hunt.
Ford only carried the ball eight times his rookie season but he showed off some of his ability with the football in the return game, averaging 24.1 yards per kickoff return with a long of 48 yards. He also had two 44-yard returns and three more over 30 yards.
Ford’s receiving ability also will be tested — he had 21 catches for 220 yards his final year in college — but the Browns might turn to Demetric Felton Jr. as their pass-catching back. Regardless, Ford will have an opportunity to establish himself as the No. 2 back.
Wide receiver: Elijah Moore
OK, let’s recap. Moore is a former second round pick with two years left on his rookie contract. In 11 games as a rookie in 2021, he caught 43 passes for 538 yards and five touchdowns with Zach Wilson and Mike White throwing him the ball. Prior to the draft, he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein comped him to Antonio Brown.
All the Browns had to do to acquire Moore was move down 31 spots in the draft.
Listen, NFL draft comps are what they are, but this is a player with some real traits and some production and it didn’t take all that much for the Browns to get him. What are we missing?
The Browns are relying a lot on Moore to deliver on the promise he showed in the draft process and in glimpses in New York. The potential is there for him to break out and, if he does, it will help Watson reach his peak and help the Browns offense maximize its potential. If he can leap from a 500-yard receiver to a 1,000-yard receiver, watch out.
Tight end: David Njoku
Njoku is coming off what, in many ways, was his best season in the league. He set a career high in receptions with 58, tied his career high with four touchdowns and put up his second-most receiving yards, all while missing three games with injuries.
So why is Njoku on this list?
Because there’s still another level to unlock.
Njoku has never played with a quarterback like Watson for a full season and Watson has never been shy about throwing to tight ends. It’s a combination that could take Njoku’s career up a step and a leap from him would put him among the elite tight ends in the league.
That’s the type of talent Njoku has and it’s why, even seven years in and on the heels of a strong season, he could still break out.
Offensive line: Jedrick Wills Jr.
The Browns offensive line remains a strength. Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are strong at guard and Jack Conklin, when healthy, is still one of the best right tackles in the game. The only real questions are about how Ethan Pocic will perform in Year 2 as the starter and the progress of Wills.
It’s hard to really grasp what kind of season Wills had in 2022. The Browns seemed to be happy with his progress and they picked up his fifth-year option in May, guaranteeing him $14.175 million in 2024.
PFF, however, didn’t love his season. He was 46th among qualifying tackles in pass blocking and 66th in run blocking. Then again, you shouldn’t take PFF grades as gospel and, as a general rule, linemen tend to not love them, especially if they’re bad.
So is Wills ready to ascend to the status of long-term left tackle this season? He essentially has two seasons to grab hold of the job and potentially earn a lucrative extension. The Browns drafted Dawand Jones in the fourth round, but it’s too early to pencil him in for a future starting job and James Hudson III hasn’t shown he’s ready to start.
This is still Wills’ gig and a leap this year would only make the Browns’ offensive line better and pay off in a big way for Andrew Berry’s first draft pick.
