Baltimore Ravens v. Cleveland Browns – Jason Miller / Getty Images

Over the past few weeks, since February 11th to be exact, the Cleveland Browns have been quickly putting together one of the best rosters in the AFC. It all started when they signed the troubled Kareem Hunt (I’ll talk about him more later), and how it has now culminated in the blockbuster trade with New York and some major signings in Free Agency. With many thanks to General Manager John Dorsey, the Browns have finally put together a team that looks to contend for the AFC North, if not the entire league.

The Browns made headlines in February when they made the decision to bolster their already-mighty backfield of Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson by signing Kareem Hunt. At the time of the signing, the Browns had no idea what kind of punishment might be dealt to Hunt, but Dorsey saw the same thing in Hunt that he saw when he drafted him for Kansas City in 2017 – an explosive playmaker that can change the game at any moment. While the morality of the signing is a hard pill for some to swallow, Dorsey and the rest of the Browns organization believe that Hunt deserves a second chance, and that they are going to work with him in his rehabilitation. This is not a new stance for Cleveland, just take a look at all the years spent with Josh Gordon. The recent news, according to ESPN, is that Hunt is going to miss the first eight games of the 2019 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. All things considered, this punishment is not all that bad, and it gives Hunt the opportunity to come in and help Cleveland make what could be their first playoff berth since 2002.

This does leave some questions about that crowded backfield, though. In 2018, the Browns started with veteran Carlos Hyde, all-purpose Duke Johnson and rookie Nick Chubb. After seeing some of Chubb’s explosive potential, Dorsey traded Hyde to the Jaguars for a 2019 pick, and opened the doors for Chubb to have a near-1000 yard season. Even last year, the Browns weren’t quite sure how to use Johnson, and his role becomes even more blurry with the addition of Hunt. Most Browns fans, myself included, love Johnson and would love to see him play and thrive. Whether that is as a running back or a receiver is up in the air, but I would really hate to see Johnson shipped to another team. Our receiving core needed help a few weeks ago, but that isn’t as big of a need as it used to be.

Even though the Browns lost Breshad Perriman to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we added arguably the best receiver in the NFL. On Tuesday night, reports broke that on top of the Olivier Vernon – Kevin Zeitler swap, the Browns would also send their first and a third round pick in the 2019 draft along with DB Jabrill Peppers for WR Odell Beckham Jr. This trade broke the internet and blew the minds of millions of football fans across the country. This trade has been rumored for months now, and it has finally happened. This reunites OBJ with his friend and former college teammate Jarvis Landry, and their old receivers coach from LSU, Adam Henry. Beckham was the OROY in 2014, is a three time Pro-Bowler, and has had four 1000-yard seasons under his belt in his first five seasons in the league. Beckham also joins Rashard Higgins, Antonio Callaway, recent-signee Jalen Strong and others to make one of the best receiving cores in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns have also bolstered their offensive line this offseason. Starting with the resigning of Greg Robinson, the Browns have also signed G Eric Kush and T Kendall Lamm. They join a decent Browns OL, and should help to give depth to the position that they needed more of last season. Losing Zeitler hurts, but Cleveland did a good job to replace him. They also added TE Demetrius Harris, who gives Baker Mayfield one more weapon alongside TE David Njoku.

The defensive line has quickly become one of the best in the league. This new DL is downright scary. Joining DE Myles Garrett and DT Larry Ogunjobi are DT Sheldon Richardson from Minnesota and DE Olivier Vernon. Richardson has always been a force to be reckoned with, and Vernon is coming off of one of his better seasons. Even with his 2018 being cut short by injury, he was still able to record 7 sacks and 21 QB hits, according to Pro Football Reference. Those numbers came in only 11 games. These two additions, along with the resigning of Carl Davis, make this Browns DL one of the toughest in pass rush and in run stopping. They are going to be dominant, I’m calling it now.

The Browns secondary is still strong, even when losing Peppers and LB Jamie Collins. They have signed LB Adarius Taylor and resigned LB Ray-Ray Armstrong. Some moves definitely still need to be made, either in Free Agency or in the Draft, but Dorsey has made some decent moves to get started.

While the Browns may have lost their first round pick, they still have eight picks to make in the other six rounds to really add some young talent to this already great roster. I say it every year, but I have a really good feeling about this Browns team. I mean, a really good feeling. As long as I have been a fan, I have never felt as excited for an upcoming season as I have for this one. This could finally be our year, and I can’t wait to see the product that HC Freddie Kitchens is able to put on the field.