In one year, the Cleveland Browns and General Manager John Dorsey have shed the stigma of a winless 2017 season and now appear to be a destination for top talent and, if Las Vegas odds makers are to be believed, maybe even a favorite for the Super Bowl.
Dorsey took the reins halfway through the 0-16 season and has turned the assets acquired by former GM Sashi Brown into one of the NFL’s most complete rosters. Wednesday afternoon, the official start of the 2019 league year, the Browns confirmed that they had traded for receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants, and signed Seattle defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and Kansas City tight end Demetrius Harris.
The Browns and Dorsey rocked the NFL world Tuesday night by agreeing to acquire Beckham, a 26-year-old receiver who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. Beckham missed all but four games with an injury in 2017, but bounced back last season with 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games with an offensively challenged Giants team.
"He's probably if not the one, one of the two best receivers in the National Football League,” Dorsey said. “Very rarely do you get a chance to acquire a player of this magnitude. He's at a relatively young age. He's got a lot of football left in him. Great hands, great work ethic, committed, competitive, he really wants to be great. And that's all you can ask for."
Beckham said he is “extremely excited about the opportunity to be part of this organization and the direction they are headed. I’ve already witnessed the energy fans bring in that city having been to some playoff games at The Q. Browns fans deserve a winning football team. This is a fresh start for me and it’s going to be great to join Baker (Mayfield) and Jarvis (Landry) on this team.
“I will always appreciate the opportunity the Giants granted me and I’m thankful to them along with the fans and people in that city for supporting me.
“The Browns are an organization that is moving forward and it’s exciting to be a part of something special that is in the process of being built. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I really feel like it’s time for the Browns to come together, start winning a lot games and I’m grateful to be a part of that going forward.”
The Browns do have holes to fill in their defensive secondary, particularly after sending strong safety Jabrill Peppers to New York in return for Beckham. Cleveland also gave the Giants the 17 th overall pick in April’s 2019 NFL Draft, along with a third round pick, acquired from New England last year.
It was the second big trade the teams pulled off in less than a week. On Friday, the Browns agreed to send starting right guard Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for linebacker Olivier Vernon, who will play defensive end in the Browns 4-3 defensive alignment under new coordinator Steve Wilks.
These moves put the focus squarely on new head coach Freddie Kitchens and his offensive staff. Kitchens was promoted twice in the last five months, moving from running backs coach to interim offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season, then becoming head coach in February. He won favor from players and management after drastically improving the offense in the second half of the season.
Beckham was prone to outbursts and controversial comments in New York about the team’s direction and its reliance on aging quarterback Eli Manning. In Cleveland, he’ll rejoin Landry, a college teammate and fellow receiver, as well as receivers coach Adam Henry, who coached both players at Louisiana State University.
Pictures of Beckham, Landry and Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield have been circulating on social media for months, with Mayfield sending out a celebratory Instagram post as the news broke Tuesday night.
Kitchens must also find ways to distribute the ball to his team’s other offensive weapons: 2018 rookie standout Nick Chubb at running back and newly acquired running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt is facing an NFL suspension for three separate off the field incidents, including one in which a videotape shows him kicking a woman at The 9 hotel in Cleveland. Dorsey called the act “egregious” and said Hunt must earn his way on to the Browns roster. Dorsey drafted Hunt, a Willoughby native who was the NFL’s top rookie in 2017, while he was general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite potential concerns about a first-year coach having to handle so many combustible personalities, the Las Vegas Superbook at the Westgate Hotel now gives the Browns the fifth best odds to win the Super Bowl: 14-1. Only last year’s conference finalists – eventual NFL champion New England, Kansas City, New Orleans and the L.A. Rams -- have better odds.
Before the Beckham deal, the improved Browns were 25-1 to win next February’s Super Bowl.
After years of frustration, the Browns will enter next season facing drastically higher expectations. When the NFL schedule is released next month, it’s believed Cleveland will be tapped for multiple prime time games.
