Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (9/10/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns NFL Week 1 Preview and Prediction (Chris Pokorny) - This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals to kick off the regular season in Week 1. Below, we analyze a few advantages, disadvantages, or general thoughts about the two teams before getting to our predictions for the game.
• Browns contracts: Where the big deals rank in the NFL (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns have signed a lot of players to big deals in the last few seasons as they hope to finally put a championship-level team on the field. Those deals have led to a lot of conversations around the Browns salary cap while GM Andrew Berry has restructured deal after deal this offseason. With Week 1 kicking off, this is a great time to review where some of the Browns big contracts rank compared to the rest of the NFL.
• Bengals-Browns DraftKings Week 1 prop bets: Bet on David Njoku, Elijah Moore (Chris Pokorny) - The Cleveland Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season this Sunday, September 10, at 1:00 PM ET. The Bengals are 2-point favorites over the Browns, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite player prop bets from the Browns’ perspective in Week 1.
• Way too early 2024 Cleveland Browns Mock Draft 1.0 (Jackson McCurry) - We’re through Week 1 of the college football season and now the NFL season begins this weekend. We got to see some great action during the opening week of the college season and started paying attention to some potential options for the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Cleveland Browns:

• Cedric Tillman ready to ‘go with the flow’ as Cleveland Browns rookie nears NFL debut (Beacon Journal) - Cedric Tillman isn’t worried about adjusting any kind of pregame ritual for Sunday’s season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns rookie receiver doesn’t really have one to adjust.
• Will David Njoku start strong and more to watch in Browns vs. Bengals Week 1 (cleveland.com) - By the time the Browns and Bengals kick off on Sunday, it will have been 51 days since the Browns held their first practice at The Greenbrier. It’s safe to say that everyone — fans, media and the team — needs some real football. Here are three things to watch in Browns-Bengals and three prop bets to consider.
• Browns-Bengals Preview: 3 things to watch, 3 key numbers, the prediction (Browns Zone) - The traditionally frugal Bengals pried open the wallet this week, giving quarterback Joe Burrow a five-year, $275 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL at $55 million a year. The move was a no-brainer after the No. 1 pick in 2020 led them to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship Game in 2022. As good as Burrow has been, he hasn’t had the same success vs. the Browns, going 1-4, with the lone win coming in December in Cincinnati.
• How the Browns can claim a win over the Bengals in Week 1 (clevelandbrowns.com) - All the work throughout training camp and preseason leads up to Sunday – the first regular season game. The Browns and Bengals face off in the 100th “Battle of Ohio” at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Let’s look at three of the biggest keys for the Browns to find success against the Bengals in the home opener.
• Browns defensive star Myles Garrett chasing greatness, hoping for picture perfect season (Associated Press) - Myles Garrett was in an unfamiliar, vulnerable position. Flat on his back. Accustomed to shedding blockers to knock down quarterbacks, Cleveland’s All-Pro defensive end looked as if he might be ready to take a nap as he stretched out on a padded landing mat inside the Browns’ indoor field house this week. The grind is about to get real — time to chase QBs and greatness.

NFL:

• Bucs not signing receiver Mike Evans to extension, sources say (ESPN) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not be signing Mike Evans to a contract extension despite the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver’s Saturday deadline, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
• Chase Young ruled out of Commanders opener with stinger (Washington Post) - Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young was ruled out of Sunday’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals because of a stinger, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Young has been medically cleared for contact in practice, but the team wants to see how his body responds before putting him back into a game, that person said.
• Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) being placed on IR; to miss at least 12th straight game (NFL.com) - Cooper Kupp’s 2023 season will unfortunately begin in the same place his 2022 campaign concluded. Kupp will miss at least the first four games of the season, as he’s being placed on injured reserve due to a lingering hamstring injury, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday, per a source.
• Ravens face a tough path in AFC North, the NFL’s best division (Baltimore Sun) - When the Detroit Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 21-20, on Thursday night to open the NFL season, the AFC West lost some of its luster because many thought that division was the best in the league. But from top to bottom, there is no more competitive division than the AFC North. In fact, all four teams have a shot at reaching the postseason.