AFC North projections: Where the Cleveland Browns finish

How long ago was 1989? From a sports perspective, Joe Montana's San Francisco 49ers won that season's Super Bowl under first-year coach George Seifert in a record-setting rout of the Denver Broncos, the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons won their first NBA title, the Oakland A's swept the San Francisco Giants in the earthquake World Series, and interim head coach Steve Fisher led Michigan to its first-ever NCAA Tournament title. It was also the last time the Cleveland Browns won a division championship, and that's easily the longest drought in the NFL.

Could the Browns end that drought in 2020? Perhaps if they played in the AFC East now that Tom Brady is gone or in the mediocre AFC South, but almost surely not in an AFC North that has an absolutely loaded Baltimore Ravens team and a Pittsburgh Steelers club that welcomes back future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after nearly missing all of the 2019 campaign.

Of course, Cleveland is one of four active franchises to never play in a Super Bowl, joining the Jaguars, Texans and Lions. 

Browns SportsLine Projection Model Forecast/William Hill Odds

• Model wins: 8.6
• Model AFC North title: 9.9 percent
• Model make playoffs: 52.0 percent
• WH win total: 8.5 (Under -120 favorite)
• WH AFC North title: +550
• WH make playoffs: No -155, Yes +135

It was a very active offseason for Cleveland off last year's hugely disappointing 6-10 record – no team had taken more action to win the Super Bowl entering the 2019 campaign at William Hill than the Browns. In an interesting twist, the franchise hired a new head coach in former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski before hiring a new general manager in Andrew Berry.

Stefanski is the fifth full-time head coach since Jimmy and Dee Haslam bought the team in 2012 and fourth first-time head coach. Two of the previous three – Rob Chudzinski and Freddie Kitchens – lasted just one year.

No question that the Browns seemed to have a good offseason in player acquisition in signing offensive tackle Jack Conklin, formerly of the Titans, ex-Falcons tight end Austin Hooper and former Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn, among others. Cleveland had been in the running for Jadeveon Clowney but apparently has moved on. The Browns also got a capable backup quarterback for Baker Mayfield in Case Keenum.

However, the team lost four offensive linemen – no starters but a major loss of depth – to an opt out (Cleveland did take Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. in the first round of the 2020 draft) as well as defensive tackle Andrew Billings (free-agent addition) and has seen several key players go down injured at training camp.

Second-round rookie safety Grant Delpit (Achilles) was lost for the season in camp, linebacker Mack Wilson (knee) could be out for much of the year, and cornerbacks Greedy Williams (shoulder) and Kevin Johnson (lacerated liver) are going to miss at least some games. Earl Thomas anyone?

If Mayfield bounces back from a subpar sophomore season, the offense could be electric with the former Heisman winner surrounded by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt at running back, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at receiver, and Hooper and David Njoku at tight end. Conklin and Wills improve the offensive line. Chubb, who missed a bit of camp with a concussion, nearly won the rushing title last year and is +900 at William Hill to do so in 2020.

Cleveland is an 8.5-point underdog on the NFL odds for Week 1 in Baltimore – the Browns shockingly won there in Week 4 last year – and project as dogs in about half their games. They have won only five games straight up in their past 20 as underdogs.

NFL pick: Cleveland finishes 8-8 and third in the AFC North, just missing a Wild-Card spot.

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