Here’s a look at the Super Bowl prospects of the Cleveland Browns, who finished the season 0-16. The tiers consist of: Realistic Super Bowl expectations; Should contend, but there are question marks; Middle of the pack; Lots of work to do; and Nowhere close.
Westgate odds of winning Super Bowl LIII: 100-1.
Nowhere close: The case can be made that with five draft picks in the first two rounds and an estimated $110 million in salary cap room the Browns would have finally wrangled their way out of the bottom tier. Except the judgment is for this season, and no matter how well the Browns draft in April it won't result in a Super Bowl. New general manager John Dorsey does have a golden opportunity to form a team, though, thanks to the largesse of Sashi Brown. The Browns need to shore up the quarterback room with DeShone Kizer. They need a receiver, perhaps two. They need a cornerback. They need overall talent throughout the roster. But the picks and the cap room are there to be used, and veteran left tackle Joe Thomas opines that with a veteran quarterback, the Browns could compete for a playoff spot in 2018. That’s overly rosy but if Dorsey takes advantage, something the Browns admittedly have had trouble doing in the past, he could set the Browns up for improvement and then real success in 2019. If Dorsey gets this right there could be a quick turnaround. And the Browns will have Brown to thank.