Recently, CBS Sports released an All-AFC North team for the preseason.
To no one’s surprise, the Cleveland Browns have plenty of players all over the list.
Offensive Players
Sadly, Baker Mayfield was not given the starting quarterback job on this list.
Instead, former-MVP Lamar Jackson will get the spot, but he is well deserving of it.
At least Nick Chubb was named the starter at running back, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
He is not only the best back in the AFC North, but he is one of the top backs in the entire league.
There are few players in the NFL that can do what Chubb can on a football field.
"He can ball. I love watching him run. He can do everything."@Browns RB @nickchubb21 runs in at No. 26 on the #NFLTop100! pic.twitter.com/h6QAwnwVnS
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 25, 2021
That being said, he is well deserving of the starting running back spot here.
On the receiver side, Odell Beckham Jr. was named as the AFC North’s No. 3 wideout.
Both Tee Higgins of the Bengals and Chase Claypool of the Steelers are ahead of OBJ on the team.
To be honest, it’s kind of surprising that OBJ received that honor over Jarvis Landry.
Possibly, OBJ’s track record was taken into account and not just his last season or so.
To round out the team, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was named tight end.
While Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is the flex option on offense.
It’s a bit of a head scratcher why Landry was left off this list, but it’s a solid team outside of that.
Offensive Line
After last season, it’s not surprising that a majority of the offensive line players are from the Browns roster.
The Browns had the best offensive line in the league last season, so they deserve plenty of praise.
#Browns offensive line in 2020:
🔸 Pass blocking grade – 86.5 (1st)
🔸 Run blocking grade – 81.2 (1st) pic.twitter.com/5YLM1nyX1P— PFF (@PFF) January 6, 2021
At the tackle spot, Browns’ Jack Conklin and Ravens stud Ronnie Stanley will serve as the starters.
After that, it’s all Browns on the rest of the offensive line for the AFC North team.
The starting tackles are Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, while JC Tretter finishes it off as the starting center.
Second-year tackle Jedrick Wills is the only Browns player on the o-line that was left off this team.
However, he showed that he’s a capable option last season, so maybe he’ll be on the all-AFC team next year.
Defensive Players
The Browns appear to be a headliner in a majority of these spots, which is not too shocking.
This team will be led by Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt as the main pass rushers.
That duo would be probably the most dangerous in football, but the Browns should be fine with Jadeveon Clowney alongside Garrett in 2021.
After that, the Steelers headline the defensive tackles, but the Browns don’t have any significant options there anymore.
Although, linebacker Anthony Walker and safety John Johnson made the team and haven’t even taken a regular season snap for Cleveland yet.
That goes to show how powerful the Browns really are heading into the season.
It’s worth noting that Denzel Ward is listed as the No. 1 defensive back on the AFC North team.
That’s pretty significant considering both Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are behind him.
Both of those players are superstars, so it’s nice to know that someone appreciates what Ward brings to the Browns defense.
Special Teams
The Browns didn’t have anyone named to the special teams unit here.
In fact, the Ravens took it by storm with all three of their players being the kicker, punter, and returner.
Nonetheless, this “team” goes to show how ridiculously talented the Browns roster is right now.
This Browns roster has all the pieces to be a legitimate threat in the AFC and for the Super Bowl in 2021.
NEXT: Should The Starters Be Playing In The Final Browns Preseason Game?
