The Cleveland Browns had a tough season in 2024, to say the least.
It’s hard to believe things can get much worse for them next season.
Nonetheless, Mike Jones of The Athletic doesn’t like their chances.
In his latest column, he chose the Browns as one of the least likely teams to bounce back in 2025.
Per Jones, their salary cap constraints and their offensive shakeup might make it difficult for them to be much better next season:
“The Browns have a mess on their hands. Deshaun Watson is unlikely to play in 2025 after another Achilles tear, but his restrictive salary-cap hit remains on the books. Cleveland has the No. 2 pick. Should it be spent on a quarterback? Even as Kevin Stefanski likely reclaims play-calling duties of an offense that will have a new coordinator (Tommy Rees) and line coach, this turnaround will take a while,” Jones said.
That makes some sense, but there are also reasons to be optimistic.
For starters, the offense was better when Kevin Stefanski had a bigger input.
On top of that, he will reportedly get to pick his next quarterback, which is something that had never happened before for him.
We’ve also seen how teams can turn things around almost immediately after finding the right quarterback.
The Browns’ defense should also be better next season.
They have strong personnel and one of the best defensive coordinators in business.
The Browns are better than a 3-win team.
They’re just too talented to be that kind of team again in 2025.
Barring a major turn of events or a disaster, it’s hard to believe the Browns will finish with a bottom-two record in the NFL again next season.
NEXT: Dawand Jones Has An Honest Admission About Mike Vrabel