The first is that Cleveland is not too far removed from the team’s surprising postseason run in 2023, one where the Browns won several close games thanks to a dominant defense.
This suggests that Cleveland could rebound from its dismal results last year to contend for a playoff spot during the upcoming campaign.
The opposite school of thought is that Cleveland is coming off a 3-14 season in 2024, and the Browns are in disarray.
Analyst Gary Davenport subscribes to this theory, and he suggested the Browns are among the worst teams in the NFL in Bleacher Report’s recently updated 2025 Power Rankings.
Cleveland ranks 30th in the 2025 Power Rankings, the second-worst rating for an AFC team.
“The Cleveland Browns are a hot mess. The Deshaun Watson trade and contract has become the worst personnel move in NFL history. Watson will likely miss the entire 2025 season after tearing his Achilles tendon – twice. Superstar edge-rusher Myles Garrett wants to be traded. And no team in the AFC is in worse shape relative to the salary cap,” Davenport said.
Davenport put much of the onus on Cleveland’s current situation with Watson’s contract, a deal that the Browns have restructured multiple times to push the salary cap hit into future seasons.
The New York Giants are also behind Cleveland, landing in the No. 31 position for the 2025 Power Rankings.
Only the AFC South’s Tennessee Titans rank worse than the Giants and Browns, earning the No. 32 spot in the list.
