KC Chiefs vs. Browns: Cleveland hot takes are getting a bit too hot
By Greg Morse
There are hot takes, and then there are hot takes.
On Wednesday, Fantasy Pros writer Christian Williams made the bold claim that the Cleveland Browns have a better roster than the K.C. Chiefs. Somehow he didn’t stop there.
Let’s break this down to see if this tweet holds any water. First, Williams claims that the Browns have a better roster. Let’s take a look at a quick side by side comparison of depth charts.
First the Browns:
- QB: Baker Mayfield
- RB: Nick Chubb/Kareem Hunt
- WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
- WR: Jarvis Landry
- TE: Austin Hooper
- DEF: Myles Garrett, Malik Jackson, Jadeveon Clowney, Denzel Ward, John Johnson III
Now, the Chiefs:
- QB: Patrick Mahomes
- RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- WR: Tyreek Hill
- WR: Mecole Hardman
- TE: Travis Kelce
- DEF: Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Frank Clark, Nick Bolton, Tyrann Mathieu, L’Jarius Sneed
Now, it’s painfully obvious that the Chiefs have the superior quarterback and tight end(s). (I drafted Blake Bell in fantasy, since he’s my sleeper pick.) From there, the only roster spots that the Browns could potentially be better at is running back and WR2. I’ll take Tyreek Hill over OBJ and Landry any day and twice on Sunday.
What about defense? Clowney is once again not healthy. A Browns backup linebacker seems to think he can guard Travis Kelce, and aside from Ward and Johnson, Cleveland’s defensive backfield has a lot of question marks when it comes to injuries and inconsistency. Nevertheless, this might be the one group that Cleveland does have an edge over the Chiefs due to solid depth, with players like John Johnson, Grant Delpit, and first round pick Greg Newsome.
On the opposite side, for the Chiefs, Tyrann Mathieu might be out sick this week, but they still have L’jarius Sneed and arguably a stronger defensive line than Cleveland.
Even with the Browns having a better secondary I still think Mahomes is destined to torch nearly every defense in his path behind his new and improved offensive line. Speaking of which, Williams seems to think that not only will the Browns’ o-line have more continuity, but the Chiefs line will be a liability.
The continuity argument might have some weight to it since the Chiefs are in fact starting three rookies, but those three rookies, particularly draft steal Trey Smith, have been absolutely killing it in camp. Specifically, you just know Joe Thuney and Trey Smith in particular are ready to show Clowney just how athletic they are.
It’s hard to tell what Williams meant by a “more open playbook” since Patrick Mahomes already has Andy Reid’s playbook fully open, and at the tips of his fingers.
Then again, if you think this tweet was bad, check out what Williams said to one of his replies:
Some tweets just speak for themselves.