The Browns head into Year 3 with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback with the hopes he can finish the season with a full slate of games. Watson played six games for the second consecutive season in 2023, although this time it was because of multiple injuries rather than an 11-game suspension stemming from multiple sexual assault allegations.
Cleveland returns relatively the same team, too. Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore are back and Nick Chubb should return to full strength at least before Week 1. The Browns also re-signed edge rusher Za'Darius Smith and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.
The Browns made some major upgrades in free agency and the draft, though. Cleveland traded for and extended wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, signed backup quarterback Jameis Winston and brought in linebackers Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush. The team went on to draft defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and wide receiver Jamari Thrash.
BROWNS 2024 NFL DRAFT: Expert grades | Superlatives
A return to the playoffs is certainly in the cards for Cleveland, especially if this team can get over the issues that plagued them in 2023 and if Watson returns to his pre-suspension form.
In the meantime, we looked at 10 expert power rankings to see what pundits think of the Browns after the NFL Draft and as they head into the 2024 season.
Browns power rankings post-2024 NFL Draft
The Browns' post-draft power rankings varied from two top-10s to mid-to-late-teens. Cleveland had a 12.7 average power rank if you compare all 10 experts' analyses of the Browns with the rest of the NFL.
Here's what the 10 experts had to say about the Browns following the 2024 NFL Draft:
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 19
The Browns didn't have much draft capital and did their best to add key depth with six picks. That also keeps them right where they were post-free agency as a falling wild-card team, especially given the stronger states of the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers.
Steve Serby, The New York Post: 13
Deshaun Watson gets Jerry Jeudy to team with Amari Cooper and David Njoku. RBBC is led by Jerome Ford with the return of Nick Chubb (knee) uncertain, and Watson hasn’t given Coach of Year Kevin Stefanski enough bang for the bucks. Jim Schwartz has Myles Garrett and an elite defense.
Connor Orr, Sports Illustrated: 12
The Browns have built, without question, the best defensive line in the NFL on paper. Michael Hall Jr. is a stylistic complement to the rest of the Browns’ front, and should provide DC Jim Schwartz with some real ammunition. Questions about playmakers are valid, though the Browns are far higher on the hidden developments of Deshaun Watson that we don’t see (even when he’s playing) than the rest of us. Perhaps that is informing their decision to ride heavily on Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper in 2024.
Nate Davis, USA Today Sports: 11
Rookie DT Michael Hall Jr. is the first player this team has selected in the first two rounds over the past three drafts. Their Deshaun Watson draft debt paid in full, the Browns are scheduled to return to Round 1 in 2025. But do they have enough, aside from the return of Watson and RB Nick Chubb, to go further in the interim?
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 14
They will get Deshaun Watson back healthy this year, which puts all the pressure on him to get this team to the playoffs again. Hey, Joe Flacco did it.
David Helman, FOX Sports: 10
Theoretically, the Browns have a loaded roster and are getting their starting QB back from injury. Now, Deshaun Watson just needs to actually play like the guy they traded the farm to get. If he does, Cleveland is a contender. If he doesn't, yikes.
Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: 13
The Cleveland Browns had one of the quieter offseasons in the league out of necessity. Thanks to quarterback Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed contract, cap space was scarce. The trade that brought Watson to Cleveland left the team without a first-round pick for the third straight year.
Outside the trade that brought wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to town, the Browns are largely the same team as they were last season. But as Watson told reporters, he should be fully healthy for Week 1 and ready to lead a squad that won the most games (11) the franchise has logged in a season since re-joining the NFL in 1999.
Josh Kendall, The Athletic: 8
It’s tough to add much help when your first pick is at No. 54, but Cleveland was still paying bills from the Deshaun Watson trade. The good news is that trade is now officially complete, and the Browns will have a first-round draft pick in 2025 for the first time since 2021. Unless, of course, they make another deal.
The Score: 15
The Browns made the playoffs last season despite starting five different quarterbacks, in large part thanks to their defense ranking No. 1 in yards allowed. Cleveland used four of its six picks to bolster that side of the ball, including second-round defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: 12
For where they were picking, the Browns did OK for themselves, especially with the top three selections of DT Michael Hall Jr., G Zak Zinter and WR Jamari Thrash. They attacked some of their bigger needs, mostly aimed at getting younger, and did a solid job throughout. Even CB Myles Harden, scooped up in the seventh round, got me a little excited. And their approach was slightly out of character, with GM Andrew Berry not pulling off a single trade and the Browns selecting a few older prospects. But all of that is window dressing for the major storyline this year: Can Deshaun Watson prove his worth? Nick Chubb's status is still a question mark as he recovers from last year's major knee injury, but the offensive line should mostly be back healthy. There are five (or more) quality pass-catching options. The defense, we know, is top-notch. So all eyes turn to No. 4. He's potentially the difference between a good season and a great one.
