Opponent Scouting Report: Cleveland Browns
By Andrew Ites
The Browns were one of the worst teams in the history of the NFL last season, but they’ve used their incredible assets to acquire some talent this offseason.
Cleveland has won four games over the last two seasons combined, but Browns fans are cautiously optimistic about the future of the franchise with a shrewd rebuilding plan.
The Browns are still a long way for contending for a playoff spot, but they actually have a couple of bright spots on this roster that could possibly carry them to six wins next season.
Strengths
Cleveland entered the offseason with the most cap space in the entire NFL, and they used most of it to build an incredibly solid offensive line.
The Browns already had a 10-time Pro Bowler in left tackle Joe Thomas, and Joel Bitonio has proven himself to be a high-level NFL guard when he’s healthy.
Cleveland’s front office then went out and signed J.C. Tretter, who played well at center for the Packers last season, and possibly the best offensive lineman on the free agent market in guard Kevin Zeitler.
The right tackle position is still a major question mark, but this is a unit that the Browns can build around for years to come.
Weaknesses
When you’re coming off of a 1-15 season, you’ll have a few holes on the roster.
Cody Kessler played much better than expected last season, but he’s still not going to win a game by himself any time soon. The Browns’ QB competition will be between Kessler, Brock Osweiler and rookie DeShone Kizer, and none of those options are particularly tantalizing.
The Browns only have half of a defensive line and their secondary is incredibly iffy, but some overachieving young players could change that.
Next: 2017 Positional Preview: Safety
The Browns could be a pesky matchup in 2017, but they’ll be overmatched by just about every team and that includes the Colts.
However, Indianapolis travels to Seattle in Week 4 following their Week 3 matchup with the Browns, and they can’t get caught looking ahead on the schedule.
In case you missed it, here are our other scouting reports for the Colts’ 2017 opponents: