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Cleveland Browns
Last Season: 3-13
Last, AFC North
Preseason power ranking: 31
This team's key to a worst-to-first run would depend on every offensive component matching or exceeding expectations. Quarterback Robert Griffin III would stay healthy and revert to his rookie season of excitement and big plays.Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson would be a strong one-two running back tandem. Josh Gordon would pick right up where he left off when he led the NFL in receiving yards in 2013. Receiver Corey Coleman would be the offensive Rookie of the Year. Terrelle Pryor would justify all the faith the Browns have shown in him in his transition to receiver. And a patchwork offensive line would come together. A successful Browns season would depend on a dynamic offense, with coach Hue Jackson carrying the team.
The Browns simply are not built to do so. Cleveland will try to win every game possible this season, but this team is built for success in 2018, not 2016. Only after two more drafts with more high picks will the "multiyear rebuild" that owner Jimmy Haslam promised come to fruition. The Browns have question marks at quarterback, concerns with the offensive line and serious problems on defense. Some of the 2016 draft picks have looked good — Coleman, DE Carl Nassib, OLB Emmanuel Ogbah — but there are not enough impact players and not enough players in general to sustain success. The two top quarterbacks have been injury prone; depth is lacking; the defense needs serious reinforcement. The Browns do appear on a track to build a team the right way. Expecting it to happen with one draft is asking for too much.
Browns’ percentage chance to win each game
Sept. 11 @ Philadelphia: 30.1
Sept. 18 vs. Baltimore: 36.6
Sept. 25 @ Miami: 27.1
Oct. 2 @ Washington: 26.8
Oct. 9 vs. New England: 24.9
Oct. 16 @ Tennessee: 33.4
Oct. 23 @ Cincinnati: 18.2
Oct. 30 vs. N.Y. Jets: 39.2
Nov. 6 vs. Dallas: 44.1
Nov. 20 vs. Pittsburgh: 29.8
Nov. 27 vs. N.Y. Giants: 41.8
Dec. 4 vs. Philadelphia: 74.1
Dec. 11 vs. Cincinnati: 36.2
Dec. 18 @ Buffalo: 22.6
Dec. 24 vs. San Diego: 47.8
Jan. 1 at Pittsburgh: 16.3
Pat McManamon’s game-by-game predictions
This is easily the NFL’s worst QB situation. RG III hasn’t seen the field since 2014, when his QBR was 33.5. Josh McCown is a good bet to start more games, as is Cody Kessler. -- Dan Graziano
Gordon has been suspended for 27 of the team's 32 games. He returns after a yearlong suspension for violations of the NFL’s and NFL Players Association's substance abuse program and is one failed test from another ban. He also returns as the same uber-talented receiver who stands 6-4 and runs like a gazelle. It's a lot to ask a guy who has missed the better part of two seasons to pick right back up at an exceptional level, but if Gordon does, the Browns offense would receive a serious and significant upgrade.
If Coleman lives up to his first two weeks of training camp practices, he will be a very, very good player. He arrived with questions about his hands and ability to run routes; in practice and in an early scrimmage, he answered both. Coleman is aggressive and fast and should win many one-on-one matches. He is the kind of player who should provide big plays. His one concern: He was sidelined by a hamstring issue for two weeks of preseason. He has to stay healthy.
The Browns’ main focus is usually on the quarterback. This season it's also on the coach. Jackson is like an Alka-Seltzer dropped into water: He's always fizzing and effervescent. He's a positive coach who believes in himself and his system, and he holds players accountable. Jackson won't accept a tough season. He'll demand excellence. A coach's demand doesn't raise the talent level, but it can make the most of the talent. The Browns have been through an assembly line of coaches, but Jackson seems to be a guy who ownership wants be committed to for the long term.