CLEVELAND — Every year, Browns fans start the season off with hope and promise for the year to come. "There's always next year" hasn't been uttered before the first snap of the regular season. But every year, in most years, the Browns' season doesn't live up to expectations.
But as the 2023 season approaches, there's a new hope within the fan base, who see the changes the team has made this offseason and believe it's everything they needed to lead Cleveland to the promised land and make a real push at the coveted Super Bowl appearance.
"We're here finally; we’ve been waiting all year for this," said Browns fan Aaron Adams. "We get to see Deshaun Watson—first drive, hopefully, he comes out and scores a touchdown...With our new defensive coordinator, we should definitely be a top-five run stop, pass stop, and then we’re going to score a lot of points. It’s going to be a good time, a new offense, and just can’t wait to see it."
That hope echoed from Browns fans across the state, like Colton Wagner from Marion, Ohio.
"Oh, I’m very excited, I’m ready to see the Browns this year. It’s been a long offseason, but I’m ready to see what we can do this year," Wagner said. "I expect a lot of big things out of us...we're going to the Super Bowl."
Autumn Stanley, also from Marion, knows that each year comes with new hope but sees this year as holding new possibilities.
"We always say, 'There's always next year,' and I'm hoping that this is our year," she said. "We say it every year, but we feel a little bit closer; we've got some good new talent coming, and we're excited to see the partnership that grows between them."
On Friday, the Browns were slated to play their starters for the first time as they took on the Washington Commanders. Getting a first peak at the team's in-game action is something that has the fan base on the edge of their seat.
"I think it will set the tone for the season so we can kind of get a glimpse into what it's going to be this season, we're hoping that it comes to expectations, and we do great," Stanley said.
As the Browns prepare to show off some of the work they've done this offseason before the regular season officially kicks off, the team hopes that fans are patient and have an open mind as they gradually ramp up what they're looking to execute this season on the field.
“Really, just don't expect anything, really. I mean, the biggest thing just really go out there with an open mind. So, like I said, it is still very basic on what we will show and what we won't show. And the biggest thing is just operational, just going out there to compete and just kind of get ourselves ready for that September 10,” said quarterback Deshaun Watson earlier in the week.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
