Will “Iron Sharpens Iron” Hold True For the Browns?
Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
There seems to be something holding people back in their belief in the Cleveland Browns. It’s a bit odd to me. This is a roster more primed for success than any modern version of the team, yet people don’t seem to be matching the confidence I have in this squad.
I suppose it’s not realistic to expect the fanbase to be overly confident in their potential. That would be anti-Cleveland, carelessly dismissing everything we’ve come to know about our favorite organization, overlooking every time the rug has been pulled out from under us.
But what is it?
Maybe the lack of belief in Deshaun Watson is what’s bringing the Browns bandwagon down? It’s certainly what’s getting the attention.
But while the national media focuses on the Watson storyline, I decided to ask as many Browns fans as I could find what was holding them back. The thing that was, far and away, the most common answer surprised me: The schedule, and more specifically, the caliber of offenses the Browns will face. That’s right, it appears Cleveland is worried about its defense’s ability to hold up.
You’re probably thinking to yourself “How dare they?! This is the best defense in the league! Jim Schwartz is a master, and his defense will only get better this year!” Although this is all true, the Browns had themselves a pretty light schedule in 2023. This year, however, they’re set to face a quarterback gauntlet in 2024 the likes of which is rare on an NFL schedule.
The schedule has Cleveland squaring off against Dak Prescott in Week 1, Trevor Lawrence in Week 2, Jalen Hurts in Week 6, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow in Week 7, Lamar Jackson in Week 8, and Justin Herbert in Week 9. That’s just the warm-up. Cleveland ends the season with four straight weeks of Patrick Mahomes, Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jackson. With Burrow injured last year the Browns skated by, only seeing Jackson twice, then Lawrence and C.J. Stroud.
Inarguably Schwartz’s defense will be tested in a way it hasn’t been up until now. There are two ways to look at this reality. You can take the “uh-oh” approach and spend your time concerned that the defensive side of the ball isn’t quite what it’s hyped up to be. That the Browns facing better talent will consistently expose their weaknesses, such as their linebacker corps. That the defense will look more like the unit we saw against the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Jacksonville Jaguaras than the one that opened the season. There’s merit in this concern.
However, this can be a benefit. Iron sharpens iron, as they say.
If this is truly the best defense in football, let them show it against the best competition all year long. The AFC is unbelievable, and the playoffs will be jam-packed with superstar quarterbacks and excellent offenses. No one in Cleveland is interested in skating by against backups and journeymen. Bring on the superstars, and let Jim Schwartz hone what he started to build last year on a weekly basis until that side of the ball is unstoppable.
The sports world is filled with dramatic takes for their own sake, but it’s not unreasonable to think that Cleveland’s defense has the potential to be among the greatest of all time. The best way to prove it is by seeing that unit compete against the best in the league.
Perhaps I’m biased, but the Cleveland Browns seem to be the NFL’s most underrated Super Bowl contender heading into the 2024 season. The team went to the playoffs with an elderly fourth-string quarterback and their superstar running back on injured reserve. When you consider the lack of roster losses and the subtle additions, it’s been perplexing that the team isn’t getting more hype.
But maybe we just have to see this team compete in big situations before everyone will climb on the bandwagon. I say it’s time to embrace the tough schedule and its array of elite quarterbacks, and hope the Browns make an iron so sharp that it cuts right through playoff football, all the way to a Lombardi Trophy.
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