6 NFL teams that could make 2019 playoffs after missing last year
By Randy Gurzi
1. Cleveland Browns
No team has transformed themselves as much as the Cleveland Browns have since John Dorsey took the general manager job in December of 2017. Since then, they’ve overhauled the majority of their roster and have found some of the key pieces necessary to end their incredibly long playoff drought.
Entering 2019, the Browns are the NFL team who has gone the longest without a playoff berth. They last made the postseason in 2002 and haven’t had a winning season since 2007.
They came close in 2018 thanks to a 5-3 stretch to close out the season. hat coincided with the team firing head coach Hue Jackson and promoting Gregg Williams to head coach and Freddie Kitchens to offensive coordinator. Kitchens was the driving force as his changes to the offense allowed rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield to flourish.
Kitchens now takes over as the head coach and the team added superstar wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to the mix as well. OBJ isn’t the only star who joins the team as they brought in Kareem Hunt who, while suspended the first six games, could be a huge factor for them down the stretch.
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On defense, they added defensive linemen Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon as well. Then in the draft, they loaded up on defenders, highlighted by cornerback Greedy Williams. Cleveland has gone from laughingstock to an AFC North favorite. At this point, it would feel like a disappointment if they failed to make the postseason.