The Cleveland Browns had arguably the league’s worst offense over the last two years, but with new head coach Todd Monken and a wave of new young talent in the building, there is legitimate hope for the first time in a long time. The quarterback situation is still unsettled with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders going back and forth in their battle for Week 1 duties, but the starter will undoubtedly be stepping into a much-improved situation compared to recent years.
Of course, a lot of the offense’s success hinges on what kind of production Monken can coax out of these QBs, but there are also a number of young X-factors who could take a step forward and make their lives much easier. As exciting as all of that is, there is another aspect of the offense that should ideally be much better and could ultimately be the determining factor for how good this offense is.
During a recent episode of Sports4CLE, Lance Reisland discussed the next steps for the offense and touched on the work the front office has done to address the beaten and battered offensive line from last year. There are five new starters up front, and Reisland believes that there is pressure on that group to gel quickly and serve as the anchor this offense needs.
“You gotta get good O-line play. They haven’t fixed it—they’ve addressed it. If you don’t have an offensive line, you don’t have anything. So, everything we talk about the improved receiver play, running backs, tight ends, all these rooms, they’ve addressed the offensive line. Now, this group has to gel, get really good really fast. Quality quarterback play, if he has a little bit more time to throw the ball, backs have bigger holes, if the receivers have more time to separate, that all happens with the offensive line’s ability to do their job,” Reisland said.
This offense could be built around the running game, just as Monken’s offenses with the Baltimore Ravens were. Even though he doesn’t have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry anymore, Quinshon Judkins had an impressive rookie year behind a questionable line and could be poised for a breakout now that he is healthy and in a better situation.
Having to fill five voids up front was a daunting task for GM Andrew Berry heading into this offseason, but he was able to do so despite having somewhat limited financial flexibility. Rookie left tackle Spencer Fano will hopefully be this franchise’s next Joe Thomas while Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins, and Tytus Howard will all bring some veteran leadership at the other four spots via free agency and the trade market.
There are uncertainties all over this offense, but there is certainly talent there. Everyone needs time to gel, so hopefully a starting quarterback gets named soon and everybody can begin getting comfortable in their roles.
NEXT: Joe Thomas Reveals Honest Thoughts About Browns' QB Battle
