The Cleveland Browns quietly had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory last year. Cleveland won 11 games and made the playoffs for the first time since the Baker Mayfield era, though they were blown out in the Wild Card round. The Browns have reloaded this offseason and are ready to make another playoff push in 2024. The team just signed their final rookie from the 2024 NFL Draft.
The team announced today that they have signed Mike Hall Jr. to his rookie contract. He is the last of six Browns rookies to officially sign their rookie deals.
Cleveland selected Mike Hall Jr. in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He is expected to compete for playing time with Shelby Harris, Dalvin Tomlinson, Quinton Jefferson, Maurice Hurst, and Siaki Ika.
Hall Jr. is a truly local product. He was born in Streetsboro, Ohio and played college football at Ohio State. Hall Jr. logged 45 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six sacks, and one fumble recovery during his collegiate career with the Buckeyes.
The Browns defense has been one of the fiercest in the NFL over the past few seasons under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He is one of the most aggressive coordinators in the league and it has paid off for Cleveland.
According to PFF, the Browns generated a total of 356 total pressures in the regular season. This is the 5th best in the NFL. They also logged 53 sacks, which is tied for 7th best in the league.
Adding Mike Hall Jr. should create more interior pressure and help stopping the run.
Previewing the 2024 NFL season for the Cleveland Browns
The 2024 NFL season will be crucial for QB Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland was able to cobble together quite the successful season in 2023, despite playing in a tough AFC North and deploying more than a handful of starting QBs throughout the season.
If the Browns want to ascend to the level of contender, then they will need to get consistent contributions out of their expensive QB.
Watson has only played in 12 total games throughout his first two years in Cleveland. He has shown flashes of competent QB play, but nothing close to the dynamic player who Cleveland sold their soul to acquire two years ago.
They would also benefit from Nick Chubb returning to his old self. There is no guarantee that Chubb will become the same dominant runner after his brutal injury, but it would be a welcome surprise for the Browns. It would also help if newly-acquired wide receiver Jerry Jeudy can fit in and contribute as a WR2.
The Browns have an equally tough schedule in 2024, but the early stretches feature a handful of winnable games. It would really help Cleveland to come out of the gates hot and pick up some wins to position themselves well within the AFC North standings.
These are the first six games on Cleveland's schedule, and one could argue that they could win every single one:
- Week 1 – vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Week 2 – at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 3 – vs. New York Giants
- Week 4 – at Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 5 – at Washington Commanders
- Week 6 – at Philadelphia Eagles
Even if the Browns come out of this stretch 4-2, they should be feeling good about themselves.
We can't wait to watch the Browns later this fall.
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