The Cleveland Browns enter this season fresh off a three-win campaign.
As such, it’s easy to understand why not many fans or analysts are bullish on them ahead of the season.
That’s not the case with Jimmy Watkins.
If anything, the Cleveland.com analyst firmly believes that this team can finish the season well above .500 and with a postseason ticket:
“Anybody can predict a six- or seven-win season from a team stuck between re-building for the future and retaining buy-in from its talented veterans. Boooooring. It takes real courage to count 10 victories on a tough 2025 schedule. Ahead of Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Bengals, I invite Browns fans to join a bold man in believing: Cleveland can make the playoffs this season,” Watkins wrote.
To be fair, perhaps the truth is somewhere in between.
The Browns are clearly much better than a three-win team, and they could and should be in the mix for a postseason berth if Joe Flacco takes care of the football and the defense returns to its dominant form.
Then again, the schedule makers didn’t do them any favors, and the margin for error will be slim.
That’s particularly true in the first six weeks of the season.
They’ll face mostly playoff-caliber opposition and divisional rivals.
Conversely, being able to weather the storm during the first six games of the year can ultimately lead to a surprisingly positive season.
The schedule for the second half of the season is somewhat more forgiving, and they won’t have to travel overseas anymore.
Additionally, Kevin Stefanski may be coaching for his job, and the same could be said for GM Andrew Berry.
That means they could be quite aggressive in trying to take care of business, taking risks, and making moves to ensure they stay afloat.
It’s easy to be skeptical, but the field is level right now, and the Browns have as much of a chance as anybody else.
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