Browns to face 12 of PFF’s top 32 CBs this fall

The Cleveland Browns are counting on a bounce-back year from quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2024.

To assist Watson, who is coming off a season cut short by a shoulder injury, the Browns added wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in an offseason trade to go along with wide receivers Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore, and tight end David Njoku, as the primary threats in the passing game.

The Browns will need all hands on deck this season as they will be facing 12 of the top 32 cornerbacks, including four of the top 10, as ranked by Pro Football Focus.

Starting in the AFC North Division, the situation is a light one as Cleveland’s pass catchers will match up with just two ranked cornerbacks: Marlon Humphrey (No. 16 overall) of the Baltimore Ravens and Joey Porter Jr. (No. 32) of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns found some success against Porter in their second meeting last season as the rookie allowed four receptions on six targets in posting a coverage grade of 67.6, part of a streak that saw him close out the season with grades below 70 in nine of the final 10 games.

Looking at the rest of the AFC, the Browns will be meeting up with Trent McDuffie (No. 2) of the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Surtain II (No. 4) of the Denver Broncos, Jalen Ramsey (No. 6) and Kendall Fuller (No. 8) of the Miami Dolphins, Asante Samuel Jr. (No. 20) of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Tyson Campbell (No. 28) of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Turning to the NFC, Cleveland will get a taste of Trevon Diggs (No. 19), Stephon Gilmore (No. 23), and Daron Bland (No. 31) of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, Darius Slay (No. 28) of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6.

Slay may be a prime target for Watson to exploit as the 11-year veteran posted a coverage grade of just 65.4 last season, which “marked a three-year low while his advanced metrics looked even worse … and he’ll have a lot to prove in 2024 as the Eagles look to get back on track,” according to PFF.

The Browns have the pieces in place on offense to drive the team back to the playoffs, especially if Watson makes a healthy return and the receivers can hold up well against some of the league’s best cornerbacks on the schedule in 2024.