The Cleveland Browns look a heck of a lot better now than they did this past season. Over the last month, the Browns have added wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Kareem Hunt to what is now an explosive offense while also bringing in pass rusher Olivier Vernon and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson to bolster their defense.
As a result, Cleveland is a trendy pick to win the AFC North division heading into 2019, as the Browns certainly look good on paper.
However, head coach Freddie Kitchens says that means nothing until Cleveland can actually prove that it is a good team on the field:
“We’re better on paper than we were last year,” Kitchens said, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “That doesn’t mean anything other than, we’re better on paper. I mean this from the bottom of my heart — there are a lot of teams out there that have talent, there are a lot of teams out there that have good players individually. There aren’t a lot of teams out there that play together as a team, where it means something to line up with each other. That’s where we’ve got to get to.”
Kitchens began the 2018 campaign as the Browns' running backs coach, but was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the season after Cleveland made some sweeping coaching changes, which included firing head coach Hue Jackson and replacing him with Gregg Williams.
However, the Browns decided to promote Kitchens to head coach, and, as a result, Williams headed to the New York Jets to become defensive coordinator.
Cleveland went 7-8-1 this past season, marking its best finish since winning 10 games back in 2007.
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