NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Titans ink Clowney, Chiefs remain clear favorites

In the wise words of Michael Scott on The Office, “No question about it, I’m ready to get hurt again.” Welcome to the 2020 season with the Cleveland Browns and me buying in on them again.

Freddie Kitchens and the Browns suckered me in last offseason. We all know about the hype created by adding Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon and how gloriously Cleveland flamed out in falling short of those lofty expectations. But when you look at what actually happened with that team and how they handled this offseason, perhaps we were just too early on the hype.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield regressed in a bad way from his rookie season to his second year in the league. Part of that is on him but, when you factor in one of the worst offensive lines in the league and a clueless head coach, the quarterback wasn’t in a good spot. Both of those issues were fixed this offseason while the laundry list of enticing skill position players remain, as does a quality young defense.

New head coach Kevin Stefanski appears to be the exact right guy to maximize the talent on this Browns roster, coming from a culture of stability and with a proven offensive mind to unleash as well. No one is going to make the mistake of crowning Cleveland as Super Bowl champs again this offseason but this team should be expected to make the playoffs this year.