You have to beat the best to be the best, and the Cleveland Browns are definitely living up to that motto right now.
At least, that’s how star safety Juan Thornhill seems to feel right now.
Thornhill recently raved about getting the opportunity to play vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in the final two weeks of the preseason, telling Fred Greetham that going against the two best teams in the league — which are also the two teams that squared off in the last Super Bowl — would give them an opportunity to get tuned up for the upcoming campaign.
#Browns Juan Thornhill said facing last years two Super Bowl teams the last two weeks will only help the Browns pic.twitter.com/S21rkb5T7u
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) August 22, 2023
Notably, the Browns can’t afford to go empty-handed again this season.
They haven’t made it to the postseason in back-to-back years, and plenty of people could lose their jobs if that doesn’t change soon, starting with HC Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry.
Deshaun Watson has had more than enough time to get his legs back under him and prove why the Browns were so eager to trade for him and then pay him that much money.
Their defense should fare better with Jim Schwartz now calling the shots, and even though they’ll play in one of the most competitive divisions in the league, their schedule is rather friendly after the first month of the season.
So, even if we’re just talking about the preseason and most of the starters won’t even be on the field for long, it’s hard to choose a better rival to close out the preseason than the reigning Super Bowl champions.
NEXT: Nick Chubb Shares His Excitement About Deshaun Watson This Season
