3 Massive Questions Facing The Cleveland Browns For 2024 NFL Season

The Browns have a few major questions to answer if they want to legitimately contend for a Super Bowl.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) speaks with teammates during minicamp, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Berea. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns were one of the NFL's most surprising teams in 2023, winning 11 games and making the playoffs in spite of employing five different starting quarterbacks throughout the season. The Browns are hoping they won't have to go to those lengths in 2024.

On paper, Cleveland looks like a terrific ballclub. It has big-time pieces on both sides of the ball, especially defensively, where it ranked No. 1 in the league last year. But the game isn't played on paper, and the Browns unfortunately reside in the NFL's toughest division in the AFC North.

But what does Cleveland have to do to make it back to the playoffs and potentially make a deeper run? Better yet, what can stop the Browns from doing that?

Here are three huge questions Cleveland must answer heading into 2024.

What version of Deshaun Watson will the Browns get?

Since landing in Cleveland through a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in March 2022, Deshaun Watson has played in just 12 games. He served an 11-game suspension in his debut campaign, and this past year, a shoulder injury knocked him out after six contests. He underwent surgery to repair the issue and should be ready for Week 1.

Even when Watson has been on the field for the Browns over his first couple of years with the club, he hasn't looked promising. Realistically, it has been four years since Watson had a great season.

Will he be able to rebound in 2024?

He must if Cleveland wants to have any chance of contending for a Super Bowl. The Joe Flacco story was nice last season, but we saw what happened in the playoffs. The Browns did sign Jameis Winston in free agency, and while he is a very capable backup, they probably don't want him starting.

Does Watson need to be his 2020 self where he led the NFL in passing yards? No, but he does need to be a heck of a lot better than he was in 2022 and 2023, where he amassed 14 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That isn't going to get it done.

Will Nick Chubb be able to contribute at all?

Nick Chubb suffered a devastating knee injury in Week 2 of last season, tearing his ACL and MCL. Not only is his 2024 season in flux, but his career may be in jeopardy.

Chubb is on the mend, but there is no timetable for his return. He could come back in November. He could come back for the last couple of weeks of the campaign. Or, he may not take the field in 2024 at all.

When healthy, Chubb is one of the NFL's best running backs. After all, he racked up 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 2022. But thanks to the horrific knee injury, he may never be that type of rusher again. The Browns need to be prepared for that.

Jerome Ford will likely be the lead back, and free-agent signing D'Onta Foreman will serve as his backup. It isn't exactly Chubb, but the Browns don't have much of a choice here.

We'll see if Chubb can return at some point this coming season, but it isn't looking very likely that he will be able to have much of a role even if he does.

Can Jerry Jeudy fill the No. 2 receiver role?

The Browns acquired Jerry Jeudy in a trade with the Denver Broncos earlier this season and are clearly hoping he will fill the No. 2 receiver role behind Amari Cooper.

In 2023, Elijah Moore played the part, catching 59 passes for 640 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Definitely solid numbers, especially given Cleveland's quarterback situation last year. But the Browns are obviously aiming for a higher ceiling.

Jeudy could provide them with that. Operative word: could.

The 25-year-old has actually been a major disappointment since being drafted 15th overall back in 2020. He has yet to register a 1,000-yard campaign, topping out at 972 in 2022. In Jeudy's defense, he missed two games that season, so he probably would have hit 1,000 if he were healthy.

But close only counts in horseshoes, and the fact that he only registered 758 yards in 16 games this past season doesn't exactly help his case.

If Jeudy can realize his potential or at least play the way he did in 2022, the Browns will suddenly have an impressive stable of wide receivers, not to mention a terrific tight end in David Njoku. Watson will absolutely have no shortage of weapons at his disposal in that case.

Of course, Jeudy actually needs to go out on the field and prove himself.