by Heading into the offseason, the Cleveland Browns future looked to be in good hands with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and Nick Chubb commanding the offense along with guys like Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Denzel Ward and Joe Schobert holding down the defense.
Coaching changes on both sides of the ball along with the signing of players like Odell Beckham Jr., Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon during the early stages of the offseason really shifted gears in Cleveland.
But what might excite some more Browns fans is realizing just how young some of these players are. Let’s take a look at some notable players on both sides of the ball that are just scratching the surface in the NFL.
- Baker Mayfield: Here’s a player that broke the single-season rookie record for most passing touchdowns (27). After starting just 13 games as a rookie as well, Mayfield helped turn around the Browns future, nearly leading them into the playoffs after winning just one game the previous two years. At just 24 years old, Mayfield is one of the most intriguing quarterbacks who’s going to create problems for opposing defenses in the AFC North for years to come.
- Nick Chubb: His 996 rushing yards and eight touchdowns both ranked top-10 in the league for the rookie out of Georgia. Chubb excelled running between the tackles and was not easy being brought to the ground– shown by his 64 evaded tackles in 2018, the ninth most in the league. The 23-year-old is only going to get better both on the ground and catching passes.
- Kareem Hunt: Much more risk involved with Hunt than Chubb, but nonetheless, this may be the best 1-2 running back duo in the league. Keep in mind that this is a player that led the league in rushing (1,327 yards on 272 carries) his rookie season. He’s also just 23 years old and will miss the first eight games of the 2019 season due to suspension.
- Duke Johnson: Coming off an up-and-down 2018 season, Duke Johnson looks like he’s here to stay in Cleveland– at least for the time being. He caught 47 passes for 429 yards while running for 201 yards on 40 carries. Just 25 years old, the Browns running back core is all under 26 years of age. A very young and talented group in the backfield for the Dawg Pound.
- Jarvis Landry: Landry finished the 2018 season with 81 catches for 976 yards and five touchdowns. No player in NFL history has more catches in his first five seasons in the league than Landry does (481). He’s had over 900 yards receiving in four of five seasons and is just 26 years old.
- Odell Beckham Jr.: Securing a 28.5 percent target share last season in New York, Beckham hauled in 77 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns. We all know how gifted he is and at only 26 years old, him and Landry lead the young core of Browns wide receivers.
- David Njoku: David Njoku has shown strides of improvement in Cleveland. He’s set to turn 23 years old July 10 and is already entering his third season in the NFL. He ranked top-10 in catches, targets, yards and touchdowns amongst tight ends.
- Joel Bitonio: Coming off a Pro Bowl season after starting all 16 games, Bitonio was a crucial piece in the development and time for Baker Mayfield dropbacks. He’s still 27 years old and is the focal point of the Browns offensive line. He ranked as the No. 82 player last year by Pro Football Focus.
- Joe Schobert: A first-round pick in 2016, Schobert has lived up to the hype. He’s not a team’s ordinary linebacker and has made one pro bowl in his first three seasons. At just 25 years old, he’s the perfect player at linebacker for the Browns who are currently set at win-now mode.
- Larry Ogunjobi: Coming off a career year in Cleveland last season, Ogunjobi’s future is bright. He recorded 52 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 2018. A recent article points out that players spot Ogunjobi the most in the weight room. Oh and he’s just 25 years old too.
- Denzel Ward: It’s safe to say the Browns nailed their first two picks in last year’s NFL draft. Ward is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he recorded 53 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass deflections. At just 22 years old, he’s going to play an imperative role in the shutdown of opposing receivers.
- Demarious Randall: A breakout 2018 season for Randall in Cleveland helped him become a fan favorite. He recorded 85 combined tackles in 15 games played and turns 27 next month.
- Myles Garrett: Not much more to say than he’s a freak of nature. His strength and power put him amongst the most dominant edge rushers in the game and is just still only 23 years old.
The 53-man roster isn’t set yet and won’t be for quite some time. But just looking at some of the names above and seeing all of them are less than 28 years old should make Browns fans excited for years to come.
Just a year ago, Cleveland had the second youngest team in the NFL with an average age of 25 years old, trailing only the Bengals after having the youngest team in the league in 2017. The future looks very bright for the Browns and with a nice young core on both ends of the ball, it’s going to be a challenge of not hearing Cleveland in the spotlight for much of the future.
