On paper the Browns boast one of the most talented rosters in football. During the leadup to the season though – ripe with assortments of player and team rankings – they haven't necessarily been getting much respect from a number of national outlets.
On Friday, Sam Monson of PFF released his list of the top 50 players in the NFL which featured just one Browns player: star defensive end Myles Garrett. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was the No. 2 ranked player on the list, behind only Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Not a single Browns player landed a spot among the remaining 48 players Monson ranked.
On one hand, it's nice to see Garrett getting the respect he deserves in terms of being one of the best players in football. In fact. this marks the second time in a matter of weeks that Garrett has come in as the No. 2 player in football on a major outlets list.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports also had the pass rusher as the second best player in football on his Top 100 players list. Like Monson though, no other Browns players popped up on Prisco's list either, despite the fact that it covered an even larger swath of players.
Eight wide receivers made Monson's list ahead of Cleveland's Amari Cooper . Only two running backs – Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers and Derrick Henry of the Ravens – were ranked ahead of Nick Chubb, who is returning from multiple surgeries. Five corners found their way on the list ahead of Denzel Ward .
The Browns have plenty to prove on a national scale in 2024.
