NFL Power Rankings: Steelers rise and Texans fall flat in July

19. Cleveland Browns (finished 25)

What I said at the end of last season:

"What a wasted opportunity the Browns had this year. Despite having an early season win against the Baltimore Ravens, the team never had any cohesion and was one of the least disciplined units in the NFL. An incredibly assembly of talent coached by someone who probably didn’t deserve to be the coordinator in Cleveland, was squandered and now you have to worry about the long term damage that you do with your players and any potential players you could have brought in. Baker Mayfield looks like a shell of his former self and Odell Beckham had the worst season of his career aside from the year where he played in just four games. Meanwhile, Myles Garrett is the poster child for bad decisions and the front office is run by a GM who has shown that he doesn’t think character matters in building a team. I don’t know what to make of this team going forward, but it isn’t good."

Looking back:

Thank goodness for that money and the high draft picks the Browns had because that allowed them to truly recreate that offensive line. Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills are miles ahead of what the Browns had last year and even at their worst, they will provide a huge upgrade to what was the weakest part of that roster last season.

Myles Garrett still made an incredibly foolish decision at the end of the game against the Steelers, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Browns from keeping this EDGE tandem together for another year.

I have some questions about the middle of their defense, but all in all this roster is talented enough to win a lot of games. Unfortunately, they have to overcome the mental hurdle of having Lamar Jackson and the Steelers defense looking down at them from the top of the division. That pressure is going to really show the cracks in this team (if there are any) and they also have to deal with learning a new scheme in this difficult offseason.