Shutdown Countdown: Browns once again overshadowed by Johnny

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 25: CLEVELAND BROWNS

It’s impossible to talk about the Cleveland Browns without talking about quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Manziel has drawn an unbelievable amount of interest for a player who has started and finished one NFL game. But put the sideshow aside. The football part of the Manziel equation is huge for the Browns. You can’t use a first-round pick on a quarterback, get nothing out of him and not have it affect the franchise for years.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of faith in Manziel. A lot of that has to be related to his massive exposure. But the criticism has legitimate football roots.

We don’t have much to work with, when it comes to evaluating Manziel. He had one passing attempt before Week 13. In mop-up duty against Buffalo he was 5-of-8 and played well, but that’s mop-up duty. Two weeks later he got a start against the Bengals. Then in his second start against Carolina, he left before halftime with a hamstring injury.

In that Bengals game, Manziel wasn’t good. He was 10-of-18 for 80 yards and two interceptions. NFL Films’ Greg Cosell showed how Manziel missed easy reads that an NFL quarterback needs to make. He looked lost.

What does that really mean though? It’s one start, and try finding an NFL rookie quarterback who wasn’t bad in at least one start. We also know that Manziel was dealing with significant off-field issues; he spent some time at a rehab facility this offseason.

There are many who don’t think Manziel can make it as an NFL quarterback. The school of thought is that he has too much to learn to play from the pocket, and even if he does develop in those areas, he still has to overcome physical limitations.

It’s too early to give up on a first-round pick, but the Browns had to have a Plan B for this season. There was too much uncertainty with Manziel. So the Browns won the sweepstakes to sign veteran journeyman Josh McCown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter last season. Even a ridiculously optimistic scenario for the Browns would be getting a decent year or two out of McCown. He’s obviously not the future at age 36. Which brings us back to Manziel.

Not only are the Browns waiting to see what they have in Manziel, this is also a key year for 2014 No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert. The cornerback had major attitude problems and was practically benched by the end of his rookie season. If only the Browns had drafted Odell Beckham and Teddy Bridgewater … and both picks would have made total sense, by the way. Sorry, Cleveland.

Despite getting very little from the 2014 first-round picks, and drama that included general manager Ray Farmer texting the bench during games to reportedly criticize play calling and personnel decisions — that episode was so weird it doesn’t seem real — the Browns were not that bad last season.

If you asked casual NFL fans what the Browns record was last year, how many would guess they were 7-9? And it wasn’t a fluky 7-9, their statistical profile looks like a seven-win team.

The defense, especially against the pass, was pretty good. The passing offense, with Brian Hoyer playing OK at stretches, was reasonably productive. The Browns’ young backs played well at times, especially before Pro Bowl center Alex Mack suffered a season-ending injury in mid-October.

But it just doesn’t seem like the Browns are that close to breaking through. The receiving corps looks painfully mediocre, especially now that former All-Pro Josh Gordon is suspended another year. They might take a step back at quarterback. And they lost some key veterans on both sides of the ball.

The Browns have a reputation now around the NFL and it’s not a good one. The record last year gives some hope. But it’s hard to expect big things. But a promising year from Manziel — and one would have to assume he’ll get a chance to play at some point this year — would be a great step. We’ll see.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Browns were 7-4 and in the playoff race, before the offense collapsed and they lost their last five games in a row.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same?: It’s worse, especially once you factor in losing Gordon for a year. Tight end Jordan Cameron went to the Miami Dolphins, and the Browns didn’t do much to replace him. Quarterback Brian Hoyer might not be great, but he might be better than what Cleveland has now. The New England Patriots thought enough of outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard to give him a two-year, $11 million deal. The Browns’ draft looks good on paper, but it still wasn’t the best of offseasons.

Best offseason acquisition: The Browns added a few solid veterans in free agency, but the biggest difference maker could be nose tackle Danny Shelton, the team’s first pick out of Washington. Shelton, a massive 339-pounder who moves well, could give the team its anchor in the middle of the 3-4 for years to come. Cameron Erving, the team’s second first-round pick, is a center who will likely play right guard during what everyone assumes is Mack’s last season in Cleveland. He could help too.

Achilles heel: The Browns won’t scare anyone in the passing game. We might look back at the 2014 and 2015 drafts, with last year’s class of receivers that might be the deepest ever and another exciting receiver class this year, and wonder how in the heck the Browns didn’t land one of the stars. The only receiver the Browns have drafted in the last two years, despite knowing before each draft that Gordon would be suspended, was Washington State’s Vince Mayle in the fourth round this year. I don’t get that. Now Cleveland has Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline, two solid veterans who opposing defenses won’t lose much sleep over.

Position in flux: The Browns look like your typical ground-and-pound offense, because the passing game probably won’t be very good and they have a ton of running backs. Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West were good last season as rookies, and then the team added Miami running back Duke Johnson in the third round this year. Johnson seemed like a surprising pick given that it didn’t fill a huge need, but Johnson is much better catching passes out of the backfield than the other two. The only question now is how the work will be divided. I really like Crowell’s talent, and he had a 4.1-yard average and eight touchdowns as a rookie. West wasn’t bad either, as the third-round pick from last year’s class averaged 3.9 yards per carry. And Johnson could prove to be the most dynamic of the group. It’ll be hard for fantasy football owners to figure out where to invest when it comes to this backfield.

Ready to break out: Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo should get a pass for last season. He played all year with an injured shoulder that required surgery right after the season ended. The sixth overall pick of the 2013 draft hasn’t played up to that billing, however, and last season he had just two sacks as he dropped into coverage probably more than he wanted to. Mingo is facing a key season in his career, and it’s always worth betting on talent coming through.

Stat fact: If McCown starts this season, as everyone figures he will, he will become the 23rd starting quarterback for the Browns since the team re-entered the NFL in 1999. The list is depressing.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The Browns have a chance to start fast. They start at the New York Jets, then have home games against the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders — all three teams we’ve seen on this countdown already. Reality will set in soon enough as the Browns have six games against the three playoff teams from the AFC North, but there’s a chance for a promising September.

Burning question

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: We’ve seen teams win with defense and the run game before, and that will have to be the Browns’ model. Maybe McCown plays like he did during his 2013 run with the Bears rather than the other 11 seasons of his career. Or, even better, Manziel shows up as a new man and plays like a former first-round pick. The Browns were 7-4 last year, so it’s not impossible to believe they could compete for a playoff spot.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: The NFL is a passing league and I’m not sure the Browns have one above-average component in the passing game, unless we count left tackle Joe Thomas. The defense should keep the team in games, but it’s easy to see Cleveland being the type of team to lose a bunch of 13-7-type games. And if Manziel and Gilbert flame out, it’s a major blow to the rebuilding efforts. You can’t waste two first-round picks.

The crystal ball says: The Browns’ fans deserve better than what this organization has given them this century. I just don’t see how it works this year unless Manziel turns a corner — and I haven’t given up on that possibility. McCown is a career backup who has somehow coaxed two nice contracts from teams based on that 2013 small sample size, so I don’t see Cleveland doing much in the passing game unless Manziel does it. Especially with those weapons. They’ll win a few games with the defense and the running game, but not enough to be in playoff contention.

Previous previews
32. Tennessee Titans
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
30. Washington Redskins
29. Oakland Raiders
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27. New York Jets
26. Chicago Bears

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab