NFL analyst makes shocking prediction for Browns in 2024

Week 1 is upon us. Before the Cleveland Browns step on to Huntington Bank Field on Sunday to compete with the visiting Dallas Cowboys, it is time to amp up the predictions.

CBS's Cody Benjamin predicted the five worst NFL teams for 2024, and the Browns made his list.

Despite finishing 11-6 last season, the Browns have unforeseeable challenges to deal with from Week 1.  Their schedule is the third hardest in the NFL.

Deshaun Watson is healthy but will he be rusty. He has only played 12 games in the past two seasons.  He is coming back from shoulder surgery that cut his 2023 short. Nick Chubb is not in the backfield and will not be until at least Week 5.

Adding insult to injury, offensive line injuries have hampered what once was the best o-line in football, and its fearless leader, ex-Browns offensive line coach has moved on to Tennessee to work with his son.

Jedrick Wills , the Browns starting left tackle, is making his return from a knee injury.  He admitted on Wednesday that he will not be starting Sunday's game.  That puts the Browns in a bind and could force Jack Conklin, also coming back from injury, to move to left tackle.  This is Deshaun Watson's blind side, and without game reps for the past nine months, he could be a little unsettled against Micah Parsons and the Cowboys at the get-go.

Equally troubling is that the Browns are the only AFC North team to make Benjamin's list. Presumably, he thinks the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers have better situations going into 2024.

It is worth noting that Benjamin's assessment of the Browns directly contrasts that of ESPN's Shannon Sharpe. Nobody knows for sure what will happen.  That's why they play the game.