What Constitutes Success for a Rebuilding Browns Team in 2016?

The 2016 Cleveland Browns are the NFL’s paradox of a franchise.

Following the team’s brief flirtation with first place in the AFC North in 2014 and an also brief referendum on why Johnny Manziel wouldn’t be the man to end the quarterback rotary in Cleveland, the team has new faces in almost every staff role, few veterans to be excited about, and have inspired some to wonder if this is the worst NFL roster of all time. 

And yet, this is the best opportunity for a rebuild the Browns have had since returning to the league. No, this season is not going to impress much in the standings or on the stat sheet. But the Browns will likely own at least two of the top 5 picks next year–probably two of the top three–and will be able to see what the bevy of young players on their roster can do until then.

It will be easy to call this team a miserable 2-3 win bunch, because that’s what they will be. But, there should be lenses to view this season as positive regardless of results.

17 of the 53 players on Cleveland’s final roster are rookies. As the season depresses on, these kids are going to get more game reps. First-year Coach Hue Jackson and the new front office folks understand the formula to a Super Bowl contending team in current NFL climate.

Teams need young, cheap talent which doesn’t really exist in the NFL except when guys are first drafted. Look at Seattle, New England, Arizona, Green Bay. Rarely making the blockbuster signing/trade, always drafting well. By the way, always drafting well doesn’t mean hitting on every pick. It means making the most of the picks you have, which is why the smart teams try to get as many as they can, another pattern the new Cleveland regime has followed.

The oldest projected starter on Cleveland’s defense is John Hughes III, currently 27. The defense has needs everywhere, and young guys ready to be plugged in and do their best to fill those needs. The reason why guys like Paul Krueger were cut is to give all the deserving young players the experience they need. Krueger is a decent player, but by the time the Browns are ready to compete he will be useless to them, so the team decided they’d rather evaluate players that match the team’s timeline. This is what smart teams do.

If Emmanuel Ogbah shows the potential to be as good or better than Paul Kreuger, then no one will care about the 2.5 more sacks Krueger might had than Ogbah. Even if the team learns Ogbah is a bust, at least they’ll have learned quickly. If any Cleveland defensive back not named Joe Haden shows signs of being a productive NFL starter, that’s a massive victory. Any young defender who could at least provide depth for the future Browns should have priority over anyone who might give them an extra win this year.

The Browns will never be able to identify the young players worthy of roles with the team if they don’t get to play, and wins in the year where DeShanun Watson is the draft’s first prize are bad.

Offensively, we actually know a decent amount about who and what to expect from the Browns. RG III will continue to be an enigma until he proves otherwise, but he is merely a place holder until Watson (read: bringer of football joy) comes to town like I expect him to next season. But, if RGIII plays well enough, he could suffer through the remaining re-building years and have Watson take the keys just as the team is ready to click.

Once Josh Gordon comes back, the preseason showed he’s still a problem on the perimeter. Though Corey Coleman might still be adjusting to the more complicated NFL style of offense, there’s a lot to like about him as well. Gary Barnidge was a delicacy in the red-zone last season, and I can’t help but continue to be intrigued by Terelle Pryor: NFL wideout. Duke Johnson Jr. feels swiss-army-knife-y.

Once Joe Thomas is gone–he is 31 on a team with no immediate prospects of winning–the offensive line will be pretty decimated. But, that’s what all the draft picks and twenty-something guys who will get reps there are for.

If you look at this team solely through the lens of this season, you will be disappointed. If you can identify some promising young guys that will help the team through the right re-build, you can find some nuggets of excitement during a season that will be a learning experience for a lot of people on the field, sidelines and in the front office.

Also, root like heck for the 49ers. They are the sole team standing between the Browns and the top two picks in the draft. Barring a catastrophic season for some other team, they are the only team who could muck up the Watson to CLE campaign, and that would be a shame.