Browns’ Garrett has right frame of mind

The Cleveland Browns are going to stink this season. Sure, they might be better than the 1-15 mess they were in 2016, but it’s not hard to go in the right direction when you are affixed to the bottom of the ocean.

This may sound like another slam on the Browns, who have enough of those daily to last most franchises a decade. Fortunately, that isn’t the case. Cleveland is actually enjoying perhaps its best offseason since coming back into the National Football League as an expansion team in 1999.

General manager Sashi Brown added key pieces in free agency, landing JC Tretter and Kevin Zeitler to bolster the offensive line, pairing them with receiver Kenny Britt to replace Terrelle Pryor.

In the draft, Brown was smart enough to avoid the Mitchell Trubisky trap, instead taking the best prospect in almost everyone’s eyes, landing Myles Garrett. Garrett, a defensive end out of Texas A&M, projects to be the best edge rusher college has produces since the likes of Jadeveon Clowney and Khalil Mack of a few years ago.

Before playing a down with the Browns, Garrett has already displayed intellect. Talking to the media on Friday, the youngster spoke of needing a collection of talent to build the franchise up, instead of legions looking at him to make the difference in solo fashion. Per NFL.com:

“It takes a culmination of all these guys coming together and just having the attitude that we’re not going to lose. And that’s what we’re going to do. I can’t be a savior,” Garrett said. “But I can be the best I can be. I can give it my all and make plays and dominate my side of the field, but it takes all 11 guys with a certain thought process that we’re going to go out there and we’re going to win.”

Cleveland had three first-round picks this year, taking Garrett, safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku. In the second round, the Browns selected who they hope will be their franchise quarterback in DeShone Kizer. If the team is smart, they bring Kizer, a good prospect with raw tools, along slowly.

So now for something Garrett already realizes. This team is not about this year. Cleveland is in the process of making a long climb back, and while it seems impossible, it’s been done. The Pittsburgh Steelers had gone 1-13 in 1969 and never won a damn thing since their birth in 1933. By 1974, the Steelers won the first of their four Super Bowls in six seasons. In 1989, Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys went 1-15. By 1992, Dallas was winning the first of three titles in four campaigns.

The point? Cleveland has a long way to go, but it appears some pieces are in place.