The Cleveland Browns have some optimism surrounding the team heading into the 2023 season. There is hope that Deshaun Watson will be able to get on track after shaking off the rust near the end of last season to help elevate the offense.
There are some new weapons around him, as the Browns acquired Elijah Moore from the New York Jets in a trade, signed Marquise Goodwin and drafted Cedric Tillman. They will elevate the passing game, taking pressure off of Nick Chubb, who will once again be leading the ground game.
On defense, there are a few new faces as well. Dalvin Tomlinson was a big free agent signing and Za’Darius Smith was acquired via trade from the Minnesota Vikings. Both will improve the Browns’ defensive front from a run-stuffing and pass-rushing perspective.
When taking a look at the roster, it is easy to see why some people believe that the Browns will bounce back this upcoming season. Cornerback Denzel Ward is confident as well, as he believes this is the best roster that he has been a part of.
“I believe so,” Ward told reporters Saturday when asked if this was Cleveland’s most talented roster during his tenure, per the team transcript. “I definitely believe so since the time that I came in. But as I said before, you can have a lot of talent, but you just got to bring it together and bring all those pieces together. So that’s what we’re doing and focusing on making it happen.”
Ward has endured plenty of brutal seasons during his tenure with the Browns. They haven’t finished above the third place, but do have one playoff appearance in 2020, which led to the team’s first playoff victory since 1994.
There has been a lot of losing in Cleveland, but as Year 4 of the Kevin Stefanski era begins, there is some pressure to turn things around. His seat is certainly beginning to get hot, but Ward is confident that things will turn around.
A reason for that is the presence of their new defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. Schwartz has had plenty of success throughout his career and Ward is looking forward to playing under him.
“I would definitely say that man-to-man is a strength of ours,” the CB said. “We got a lot of talent in the room and a lot of guys that could do a lot of things, but I’ll definitely say man-to-man is one of our pluses.”
We will get a look at the new-look Browns defense throughout training camp and in the preseason to see how they are taking to their new commander. But, their first real test will be in Week 1 when they face off against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“We know the guys over there, we’re familiar with them and they’re familiar with us,” Ward said. “We know it’s going to be a great battle, but we’re here to work and get ready for that game, get ready for that matchup. Come that time, I think we’ll be ready.”
The Browns certainly better be ready, as they can set the tone for their entire season with a big performance that week. With the Bengals among the favorites in the AFC, getting a victory over their rivals early in the season would be huge for team morale.
