The Cleveland Browns have been the laughingstock of the NFL for many years. The Cleveland franchise was moved to Baltimore after 1995 and since being brought back in 1999, the Browns have never found sustained success. Cleveland has only made the playoffs once since their reintroduction to the NFL; a 9-7 season that resulted in a first-round exit. From 2015-2017, the Browns combined to win four games, including an 0-16 season in 2017. However, 2018 gave reasons for Browns fans to have true optimism for their football for the first time in a long time.
The beginning of this optimism was after their 1-15 season in 2016 when the Browns selected Myles Garrett with the number one overall pick. Garrett came on a bit slow as a rookie, but still racked up seven sacks and 18 QB hits in just 11 games. In his second season, Garrett started all 16 games and totaled 13.5 sacks, 29 QB hits and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. Other young players like Denzel Ward, Larry Ogunjobi and Jabrill Peppers (now on the Giants) gave the Browns a very promising defense for years to come.
The first time it felt like the Browns were becoming a truly new, competitive football team was on a Thursday night game in Week 3 against the Jets. The Browns trailed 14-0 when rookie QB and first overall pick Baker Mayfield entered the game. Mayfield led a drive that resulted in a field goal to close out the first half and would go on to lead the Browns to a 21-17 victory, their first since 2016. Problematic coach Hue Jackson was eventually fired, and the Browns would finish the season 7-8-1, their highest win total since 2014.
Entering 2019, the Browns are poised to take the next step. American football odds in NJ show the Browns as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Browns have added veteran stars such as Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon and Morgan Burnett over the last two seasons. They also have young players ready to bloom into stars such as Mayfield, Garrett, Ward, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Damarious Randall and Greedy Williams. According to ESPN, the Browns are +1000 odds at Caesars (New Jersey) to become champions, the fifth highest odds in the league. It stills feels odd to see, but the Cleveland Browns are here to compete for a Super Bowl.
