NFL Odds: Browns Open as 2019 AFC North Favorites After Odell Beckham Jr. Trade
March 16, 2019
The Cleveland Browns have gone from the laughingstock of the NFL to AFC North favorites in the span of one year.
Per ESPN.com's Ben Fawkes, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has the Browns as a +140 favorite (bet $100 to win $140) to win their division in 2019.
It's hard not to be enticed by the Browns, especially compared to the rest of the AFC North. The Browns finished 2018 winning five of their last seven games.
Cleveland made arguably the biggest move of the offseason, acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants as part of a four-player trade that also included two draft picks going to New York.
Beckham joins a Browns offense that features second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and, after he serves an eight-game suspension, Kareem Hunt.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the second-best odds to win the division at +160, followed by the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh dealt Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round draft picks.
The Ravens, who won the AFC North last season, did boost their roster by signing Mark Ingram II and Earl Thomas. Their big project for 2019 is developing Lamar Jackson in the pocket after he had nearly as many rushing attempts (147) as passes (170).
The Browns seem like the most logical choice to win the AFC North in the early stages of the offseason.