The New Non-Super Stars Will Be the Difference For Cleveland In 2024
Syndication: Arizona Republic
We are still more than four months away from the 2024 NFL regular season, but fans are still as excited as ever. There is no doubt the free agency market will still have some moves remaining, but the bulk of teams’ energy has turned to the draft.
The Cleveland Browns are in this exact boat, but the pressure will be higher than ever for Andrew Berry heading into draft night. Remember, although he hit on Dawand Jones last year in the fourth round, he drafted Cedric Tillman (wide receiver) and Siaki Ika (defensive tackle) in the third round and neither had much production.
Tillman saw the field from time to time with little impact, and when he finally got his chance to shine in Cincinnati in the final week of the season, he was completely shown up by David Bell. With Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore on the roster at wide receiver, Tillman will barely see the field unless of an injury.
Ika was likely more disappointing than Tillman last season. The Browns certainly beefed up the position via free agency, but Ika wasn’t even active most weeks. While he is enormous in size, he does not have the ability to be on the field all three downs and still managed to get pushed around.
If you’ve watched this league long enough, you know it’s not just about signing high-dollar free agents to get more competitive. If you dive into most of the elite rosters around the league, much of the talent was homegrown and drafted. Not only that, for a lot of these teams they are able to find starters on the third day of the draft which is a huge advantage.
So yes, there is no doubt that Deshaun Watson needs to play well in 2024 for this team to be a Super Bowl contender, but there are a few under-the-radar guys who could have a major impact as well.
Nyheim Hines – Running Back
I know there wasn’t a lot of excitement when the signing of Nyheim Hines to the Cleveland Browns came out, but I truly think this could be one of the better signings this offseason.
Hines is coming off an injury in 2023 which is a cause for concern, but he is a receiving threat out of the backfield like the Browns have never had before. I know in the old system pushing the ball to running backs via the passing game wasn’t a high priority, but that will be different next season.
In 2018 and 20200 with the Indianapolis Colts, Hines had more than 60 receptions and 425 yards receiving per season. To put that into perspective, Elijah Moore only had 640 yards receiving last year and he was the legitimate no. two receiver on the roster.
Hines isn’t going to blow you away running the football, so while I still see D’Onta Foreman getting a lot of those carries while Nick Chubb rehabilitates, there is no doubt in my mind that Hines is going to get a shot.
Devin Bush – Linebacker
The other player that I’m extremely excited about for next season is Devin Bush. This is a classic Berry signing, giving a former first-round pick a one-year “prove it” type of deal. While there is no doubt that Bush had his struggles in Seattle last year where he only appeared in 13 games, we can’t forget about the production he had while with the Pittsburg Steelers.
In 2019 (rookie year), 2021, and 2022 Bush had more than 70 tackles per season with the Steelers and was a dominant run defender. One thing that worries me is Bush’s perfect fit is an interior 3-4 linebacker. He’s not going to be great in coverage, but he is going to fill a hole better than anyone the Browns have had in a decade.
Look for Jim Schwartz to completely scheme around his strengths. With Jordan Hicks and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah already being extremely athletic, Bush will be easier to hide in passing situations, or you may see Grant Delpit come down and play the third linebacker in more of a dime scheme.
Maurice Hurst – Defensive Tackle
This one will be a little less shocking as we Browns fans saw him in action last year, but I think he could be one of the most improved players in the league if he can stay healthy.
That’s a big if, but Hurst is a guy who can be a difference-maker and is making less than $2 million next season. As I stated before, it’s fun to sign guys like Myles Garrett to $100 million contract extensions, but at the end of the day, the more valuable guy is the starter who is providing solid production at hardly any cost.
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