On paper, the Cleveland Browns have one of the best rosters in the entire league.
The organization has high expectations after an 11-5 season and an upset postseason victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There aren’t too many teams with higher Super Bowl odds than the Browns heading into the season.
That is not a sentence that can be said very often, so fans should cherish this moment.
Nonetheless, the expectations are extremely high, which means there are a few players who need to pick it up or could be out of Cleveland soon.
1. DB Greedy Williams
In 2019, the Browns selected LSU defensive back Greedy Williams in the second round.
Some experts had Williams as a top-10 player heading into the draft.
However, he somehow fell to the Browns in the second round.
He looked like an elite defensive back during his time at LSU.
Speed. Technique. Discipline.
CB Greedy Williams is exactly why LSU continues to be DBU pic.twitter.com/JGPoEFzQxZ
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) September 12, 2017
Sadly, Williams did not look like the same player during his rookie season in Cleveland.
Honestly, part of his struggles was due to the fact that then-coach Freddie Kitchens was putting Williams in the wrong defensive schemes.
Williams is an extremely talented player, but Kitchens had no idea what he was doing during his time as the head coach in Cleveland.
Last season, Williams suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during training camp.
The young defensive back has run into some bad luck over his first few professional seasons.
That being said, Cleveland decided to select Northwestern defensive back Greg Newsome II with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Welcome to Cleveland, Greg Newsome II❗️#BrownsDraft | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/wlCHYvTypK
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 30, 2021
At first glance, this is a steal for Cleveland since Newsome was projected to go much earlier in the draft.
He is expected to compete with Williams for the No. 2 corner spot during training camp.
That means, both Denzel Ward and recently signed slot corner Troy Hill already have starting spots.
The Browns aren’t going to hand Williams the job and he could very quickly fall on the depth chart.
Another poor season by Williams could mean he possibly gets traded or becomes a rotational type player in Cleveland’s system.
2. WR Odell Beckham Jr.
The expectations were through the roof when wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to Cleveland.
At the time, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver was expected to be some kind of savior for this offense.
His first year in Cleveland was average, but it wasn’t superstar-type numbers that many expected from Beckham.
Sadly, Beckham’s 2020 campaign was cut short due to a season-ending ACL tear during the Week 7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Odell Beckham Jr. says he suffered a torn ACL against the Bengals and is out for the season, per @JosinaAnderson pic.twitter.com/RE9q9RnkVu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 26, 2020
It sounds like Beckham will be fully healthy for the beginning of the 2021 campaign.
In fact, he mentioned that this is the first time he has felt fully healthy since breaking his ankle in 2017.
Although, the pressure is even higher because Beckham has not lived up to the hype since joining the Browns.
On the field, both Beckham and quarterback Baker Mayfield continue to have obvious disconnection.
To be honest, the Browns offense looked much better during the second half of the season without Beckham on the field.
Another mediocre season would make Beckham’s future in Cleveland blurry and could even lead to a mid-season trade.
NEXT: 3 Players The Browns Can't Afford To Be Injured In 2021
