​Cover Photo: Getty Images 


The Dog Pound is back. The Cleveland Browns made one of the flashiest trades in recent memory, sending Jabril Peppers, a first-round and a third-round pick to the New York Giants ​in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr.


And this addition, along with Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson on the defensive side of the ball, have clearly made an impact on the way oddsmakers look at the Browns.

That's right. Only the four teams that played in last season's AFC and NFC Conference Championship games have better odds than the Browns, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Cleveland now has +1400 odds to win Super Bowl LIV. The Browns ​opened at +4000 on Jan. 30, so that's quite the jump. 


Giving a team that finished below .500 last season the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl may feel like an overreaction, but Cleveland added far more than just Beckham. The Browns bolstered their defensive front seven by trading for ​Vernon and signing Richardson. 


Pairing these two Pro Bowlers with an up-and-coming star like Myles Garrett could give the Browns one of the best pass-rush units in football. With cornerback Denzel Ward patrolling the secondary, this defense has a chance to take a huge step forward next season. 

Meanwhile, with Beckham in the fold, the Browns' offense might have the best weapons in football. ​Baker​ Mayfield now has Beckham, Jarvis Landry and David Njoku as his top-three receiving options, with Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson Jr. and the ​recently-suspended Kareem Hunt in the backfield. If the Browns are ​as good in real life as they look on paper, Cleveland has a chance to be special.


All in all, the Browns acquired a ton of talent this offseason, but now it's up to f​irst-time head coach Freddie Kitchens to make it all work. After years of football purgatory in Cleveland, it looks like the Browns are finally a team to be reckoned with as we look forward to the 2019 NFL season.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.