Could there finally be a changing of the guard in the AFC North? The Cleveland Browns' ballyhooed offseason has one Las Vegas betting outlet suggesting as much.
Sports book BetOnline.ag has updated its AFC North odds for the 2019 season, making the Browns the favorite at +125. The Pittsburgh Steelers are next up at +225, followed closely by the Baltimore Ravens at +300. The Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, come in all the way down at +800.
It remains to be seen if Cleveland will live up to the hype surrounding its approach to the early days of the player-movement period. The Browns made the league's biggest splash earlier this week by trading for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., doing so without sacrificing an impact player other than solid young safety Jabrill Peppers. The team also acquired former Defensive Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson, adding another rare talent to a defensive line by rising superstar Myles Garrett.
What makes Cleveland most exciting, though, is its remarkable collection of talent at the skill positions. Beckham joins a receiving corps led by former LSU teammate and four-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry, with rising sophomore Antonio Callaway rounding out perhaps the league's best group of wide receivers.
Cleveland also signed former Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt in February, who will team with rookie standout Nick Chubb to give their team a devastating two-headed attack at running back once Hunt's eight-game suspension ends in Week 9 or 10, depending on when Cleveland has its bye.
Of course, Baker Mayfield is the engine driving most of the optimism for the Browns. The 2018 number one overall pick was one of the league's best quarterbacks during the second half of his rookie season, leading Cleveland to a 5-2 record over its last seven games.
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