Cleveland Browns ceiling and floor for 2023

The Cleveland Browns have had a much quieter offseason off the field this year compared to last, when Deshaun Watson dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons. How well the Browns (7-10 in 2022) perform remains open for debate, but here's our prediction of the best- and worst-case scenarios for 2023: 

Ceiling: 12-5

In 2022, the team hoped to overcome the 11-game suspension of Watson for violating the league's personal conduct policy, but the Browns flopped. Without Watson, Cleveland went 4-7. With him, the Browns went 3-3. However, with a full offseason in Cleveland's system, Watson could return to the form he showed in Houston in 2020, when he led the league in passing with 4,823 yards. 

The additions of wide receivers Elijah Moore, Marquise Goodwin and Cedric Tillman, along with DE Za'Darius Smith and DT Dalvin Tomlinson, bolster Cleveland's case for a turnaround.

The schedule, ranked the 26th-most difficult in the NFL, is the easiest in the AFC North. The Browns have a fairly easy stretch against the Rams, Jaguars, Bears and Texans in Weeks 13-16. They also have easily winnable games vs. the Titans (Week 3), Colts (Week 7) and Cardinals (Week 9). (Complete schedule analysis here.)

Floor: 7-10

It's not difficult to argue that the Browns are still the worst team in the division, one with a great chance to match last season's lousy record — especially if Watson plays as he did last season (3-3 record, 58.2 completion percentage). Browns cornerback Greg Newsome, however, likes what he has seen of Watson in offseason workouts.