The Cleveland Browns have a very real chance to reach the playoffs

Jason La Canfora, NFL insider

• NFL evaluators see Cleveland as a playoff team: One told Jason La Canfora: “Todd Monken is going to be coach of the year.”
• Monken is getting more from Deshaun Watson: One evaluator says he is “playing better than he has in five or six years,” while Cleveland is scoring a touchdown more per game.
• Young receivers are impressing league executives: Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion have earned praise for their poise, football IQ and ability after the catch.
• The defense offers further reason for optimism: One executive praised Cleveland’s cornerbacks and views Mason Graham as a top five defensive tackle.

This is not a troll job.

This is not a cruel joke on some of the most loyal fans in the NFL.

This is real.

At least, in the eyes of multiple established evaluators who have watched them closely and a high-ranking official from a team that faced them, there appears to be something special about what first-year head coach Todd Monken is conjuring with a very young roster, and, barring cluster injuries wiping out key areas of the roster (which can happen), they believe what the Browns are doing is largely sustainable. They believe this portends well for their season at large. It does not appear to them to be a one-month fluke and the ability to turn veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson into an engaged and competitive field general has been nothing short of astounding (as contemptible a figure as he will always remain to many given the horrible allegations from his time in Houston which resulted in a lengthy NFL suspension).

So, yes, it’s safe to believe in this outfit, as presently constructed (and being hopeful that emerging monster defensive tackle Mason Graham is not out too long with an injury suffered early in last week’s home opener against Pittsburgh). It is not bonkers to think that the Browns can continue to win more games than they lose and be one of the AFC’s top half-dozen teams when we get to January. There are valid reasons to buy into what’s transpiring in Cleveland (3-1) from the film, and old-school evaluating concepts as well as from some of the analytics.

“Dude, that’s a playoff team,” said one long-time evaluator who has been generally skeptical of pretty much anything Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has been a part of in Cleveland. “That’s a good football team and Todd Monken is going to be coach of the year. What he’s doing, it’s amazing.

“Watson came out of preseason talking like he didn’t want to play anymore. He was daring them to bench him. And Monken has him playing better than he has in five or six years. That’s coaching, man. He got him to fall back in love with the game. That’s like a football miracle. That was over ...

“They have talent on offense, they are young and fast, and they love playing for Monken. And it’s not like they haven’t had injuries - they’ve had guys go down on the offensive line and the defensive line - and the next guy is ready to play. That’s coaching. Yeah, I buy the Browns.”

I asked another longtime NFL executive, who also watched the Browns closely, what he thought of their start and brought up the P word - playoffs, kind of sheepishly, during the conversation. He jumped right in.

“You are not crazy at all to think that,” he said. “They look like a playoff team to me. I love Todd Monken. He’s a great fit for that kind of team, that nobody thought could do anything. It’s a young roster but it’s a good roster, you can see that. All they really needed was a quarterback and I think Watson, with Monken, is good enough.”

Wowsa.

What is impressing league executives the most is the passion that Watson is displaying, using his legs to keep plays alive and fight for his young receivers to extend things downfield. He looks focused and, well, looks like he cares, frankly, in a way he has not in a long, long time, which played a pivotal role in their years of QB drama there after the Browns mortgaged their future to land him from Houston despite the despicable allegations against him; then they signed him to the largest fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history that expires after this season.

Watson is giving of his body to make plays in a way not rarely seen, he is avoiding the backbreaking mistakes that have marred past season and, even despite all his shortcomings in recent years, he is now 12-10 in his career with Cleveland, kinda heady stuff for a franchise that’s been this down on its luck for so long.

There isn’t an exec in the league who isn’t impressed by the poise and football IQ being displayed by rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion; this league can be very cruel to young pass catchers, but these two have a sense for finding holes in coverage and making big things happen after the catch. Tight end Harold Fannin, Jr. is a match-up nightmare, and Monken even found a way to get veteran Jerry Jeudy, a former first-round pick who had been a spare part, folded into the second-half offense in the upset of the Steelers on Thursday.

“Watson has turned it around, yeah,” said one top official with a team that’s faced the Browns, “but he has real weapons, too. Those kids want to make plays. They are making it fun for him.”

Monken has a tremendous feel for knowing how much to throw at these kids, and while the run game has been bad, this also doesn’t look like a team that will be rolling over when times get tough like in years past. They have jumped from 4.3 yards/play last season to 5.1/play this season and are scoring a touchdown more per game thus far, despite the run game being ugly (we believe it will improve as teams have to respect the new talent running routes). The Browns averaged an impossible 5.0 net yards per pass attempt last year and it’s improved to 6.9 per attempt this season; among the living!

The defense still has veteran leadership and ability in the secondary, and there was already a standard of success on that side of the ball instilled by former coordinator Jim Schwartz, whom ownership wanted to remain running that side of the ball.

“They have legit cover corners and that makes everything else easier for the coordinator,” the first exec noted. “That’s a sound foundation, (edge defender Jared) Verse (acquired for Myles Garrett) hasn’t even really ramped up yet. Graham looks like a top five (defensive) tackle to me.”

Winning three straight games is rare territory for the Browns, and they will be favored against the Jets next week and then host Baltimore; they have tended to play the Ravens tough at home. They have an easier schedule than the other AFC North teams, and then have three straight on the road - at Tennessee, New Orleans and Pittsburgh - before a midseason bye. If they win two of those three road games, look out.

And I wouldn’t put it past them.

Jason La Canfora, NFL insider

Jason La Canfora has covered the NFL full-time since 2004. He covered the Washington Commanders for five years at The Washington Post, then spent three years as NFL insider for the NFL network across all platforms and 10 years as the NFL insider for CBS Sports, appearing every Sunday on 'The NFL Today,' before returning to The Washington Post to cover the NFL for 5 years.

He has deep connections in front offices, with coaches and agents across the league to bring a unique perspective to his coverage, along with an understanding of advanced data.

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