When a team loses its best offensive lineman in Week 1 and its best offensive player in Week 2, then sees its starting quarterback only manage to get 27% of the team's pass attempts on the season and ends up starting four other quarterbacks by the end of the year, it's safe to assume it was a disaster of a season. But the 2023 Cleveland Browns overcame those injuries to win 11 games and lock up a playoff spot with its fourth option at QB, Joe Flacco, who didn't sign with the team until Thanksgiving week.

In many respects, Flacco performed better in his short run at Browns starter than we've seen from Deshaun Watson since he returned from a long absence near the end of the 2022 season, which is likely why the Browns win total is set at just 8.5 despite the success of last season. Watson has had his ups and downs during his tenure in Cleveland, only briefly flashing the ability he showed during his time in Houston, like the monster game he had against the Titans when it turns out he was playing through a rotator cuff injury sustained midgame. If Watson can stay healthy, he could finally start to deliver on the expectations he brings with his massive contract. As a matter of fact, his last healthy game in 2023 was a road win against a Ravens team that many felt was the best in the league last year.

The Browns are distant third in odds to win the AFC North and around 10th to win the AFC, tiered with teams such as the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars. They played much better than either team last year despite all that went wrong, and they might just be the biggest sleeper in the AFC to make some noise come January.

Below, we'll go through the futures and win total markets for the 2024 Cleveland Browns, sharing recently updated odds from major U.S. and Nevada sportsbooks as well as the SportsLine Projection Model forecast for each betting market. We'll then take a look through the schedule, share my power ratings line projections for every game and note any rest or travel advantages or disadvantages to remember. Then we'll examine the changes to the depth chart and what the effect of each could be, before wrapping up with our early forecast of what to expect from this team in 2024.

What are the key factors to consider before locking in Cleveland Browns futures bets? And how does the SportsLine Projection Model see the season going? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Browns betting strategy from the expert who's 636-534-34 on ATS picks from 2017-23, returning $4,899 to $100 players!