Browns Disrespected by ESPN's Early 2022 NFL Power Rankings

There's no doubt that the Cleveland Browns failed to live up to expectations in 2021. They missed out on the playoffs, but maintain a roster that is full of talent of both sides of the ball. The Browns' window to compete is right now and they are being disrespected by ESPN's early 2022 NFL power rankings.

Browns Power Rankings

The Browns find themselves all the way down at No. 16 and trail two other teams in the AFC North (Baltimore Ravens & Cincinnati Bengals). Cleveland is in line for a strong offseason, though. The team possesses over $26 million in projected cap space and owns nine picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

While the NFL has suddenly become a pass-heavy league, the Browns excel when running the football and controlling the clock. Cleveland averaged the fourth-most rushing yards per game in 2021 (145.4) and starter Nick Chubb averaged a whooping 5.5 yards per carry.

On the defensive side of the ball, Cleveland gave up just 311.5 total yards of offense per game this past season and sent two players to the Pro Bowl (Defensive end Myles Garrett & cornerback Denzel Ward). It's clear that the Browns are just a stellar quarterback away from being a true contender.

There is now a whole offseason to get Baker Mayfield healthy and back to the form he showed in 2020. If that can happen, Cleveland becomes a very dangerous team in the AFC conference. For now, the Browns have odds set at +2400 to win Super Bowl 57 (T-10th), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.