NFL Executives Reveal Brutal Ranking For Cleveland Browns

NFL executives are apparently not too high on the Cleveland Browns heading into the 2024 season.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) and Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) react after a touchdown Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Not many know how to feel about the Cleveland Browns heading into the 2024 NFL season. They have an elite defense and some impressive offensive weapons, but the uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson makes the Browns a tough call.

Apparently, NFL executives are not too optimistic about Cleveland's chances this year.

Mike Sando of The Athletic polled five execs and asked them to rank all 16 AFC squads, and the Browns came in at No. 10.

Three teams that didn't even make the playoffs finished ahead of Cleveland in the rankings, with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers above the Browns.

The Chargers are particularly surprising given that they suffered a ton of losses on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, but perhaps the addition of Jim Harbaugh has increased confidence in the club around the league.

Still, placing Cleveland—which won 11 games last season in spite of shuffling through five different starting quarterbacks—behind Los Angeles seems a bit extreme.

Now, if it makes you feel better, the Pittsburgh Steelers were ranked 12th, so the Browns weren't considered the worst team in the AFC North.

Still, finishing in the bottom half of the conference would certainly be a rude awakening for a Cleveland ballclub that could be a dark horse Super Bowl contender if things break right.

On paper, the Browns have one of the best rosters in football. The trepidation about Watson is almost surely why some are not exactly high on Cleveland going into 2024.