Cleveland Browns: Biggest Roster Hole in AFC North not Quarterback

The Cleveland Browns are full-on rebuilding and have the biggest roster hole in the AFC North. But what position is most dire? Its not the quarterback.

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

We are sitting down and hashing out what the biggest roster hole is in each division in the NFL. We already ran through the four NFC divisions, calling units out and angering fan bases. Now it’s time for the AFC. Let’s begin with the North.

The AFC North annually has three good teams and one bad team. Is it straightforward enough to say the Cleveland Browns have the biggest hole in the division and move on from there? I must do my due diligence first.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers had dire needs in the secondary but used each of their first two draft picks to address that hole. The Cincinnati Bengals had issues at wide receiver with the departures of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, but they used a second-round pick on Tyler Boyd while also bringing in Brandon LaFell via free agency. The Baltimore Ravens added pieces as well to address their missing parts on the offensive side of the ball. Baltimore will also get Breshad Perriman back healthy this year. He was 2015’s first-round pick who missed the entire season.

Who am I kidding; of course the answer is the Cleveland Browns. The only question is whether or not quarterback is the team’s biggest hole.

The Cleveland defense has issues, but the offense is where everything has fallen by the wayside. Wide receiver is questionable; as is running back. Quarterback is obviously a real worry spot. The Browns have veterans Josh McCown and Austin Davis, brought in Robert Griffin III and drafted Cody Kesler. Am I crazy or can a viable passer be found out of that scrum if the rest of the roster is serviceable?

I may be crazy, but the biggest issue is the rest of the roster is nowhere close to serviceable, specifically on the offensive line. Cleveland lost two Pro Bowl-caliber linemen this offseason in center Alex Mack and tackle Mitchell Schwartz. All that’s left are Joe Thomas and holes.

Now Thomas may be good enough where you would rate this unit above something else strictly on the back of him anchoring the left side. But I can’t go that far. Cleveland is replacing Mack with last year’s rookie, Cameron Erving, who really struggled in his opportunities. They may be replacing Schwartz with rookie Shon Coleman, a third-rounder who reportedly needs work on his technique.

Even with those elite pieces a year ago, the Browns o-line was near the bottom of the league in 2015 according to Football Outsiders. It will surely look worse this season, and that will be no help to whichever quarterback is thrown to the wolves…or bengals.

May 18, 2016; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (16) runs with the ball during official training activities at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

So you’re not of fan of how the Browns handled a team rebuild this offseason? I get it, Cleveland needed tons of help and has not gotten all of it. Their best players departed because they could and neither the offense or defense has a player who will truly scare opponents. At least not yet. With the release of another veteran, wide receiver Brian Hartline, the Browns are all-in with their youth movement.

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Cleveland has the biggest roster hole in the division. What scares me is the complete disregard for a veteran presence in the locker room. They’ve simply lost too much, while the remainder of the AFC North has at least kept things together. I don’t like the Ravens again this season, but only the Browns are playing for the future.

Each of the other AFC North teams has a veteran quarterback in win-now mode. I’m a firm believer that RG III’s story isn’t over and that he will in fact make a return to respectability. Cleveland’s offensive line must step up for this to happen, but the Browns used two of their fourteen draft picks on the position. I think it will be okay.

With fourteen new players in camp, the Browns are likely to have two or three long-term players in the bunch. Unless the organization completely whiffed, the odds are in their favor of talent emerging from this new group of players. I’d put the biggest hole at wide receiver, but they did draft five of them. This leaves the running back position as my biggest concern and the roster hole Cleveland failed to address.

I think Isaiah Crowell did pretty well for himself in a limited role last year. He rarely got more than twelve touches a game and the one time he was given the ball twenty times, Crowell put up nearly 150 yards on the ground. But the NFL is now a two back league, with most teams relying on two strong runners to carry the load. Crowell isn’t enough to sustain a running game in Cleveland. Yet the Browns desperately need one, with so much youth at wide receiver and an uncertain quarterback situation. Perhaps Duke Johnson can find success, but he was given the ball even less last season.

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There were a bunch of veteran running backs available in free agency. Cleveland had fourteen picks in the draft. Yet the team did nothing to push its running game to the next level. Youth can succeed, but not without something to rely upon in times of adversity.

Running back could have been a position to rely on, but Cleveland chose not to add to its arsenal. The position feels depleted, lacking a bruising option with a proven track record of carrying the load. Its going to be another long season unless a few rookies breakout for the Browns.