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NFL Odds 2019: Browns Win Total Spikes at Sportsbook After Odell Beckham Trade
March 31, 2019
Expectations for the Cleveland Browns are officially higher than at any point since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
Sportsbook CG Technology released its over/under numbers for the 2019 season Sunday, listing the Browns at nine wins, per Ben Fawkes of ESPN.com.
The Browns began the 2018 season with their line at six wins and posted a 7-8-1 record, hitting the over.
Cleveland isn't lacking in reasons for optimism. Baker Mayfield looks the part of a franchise quarterback, particularly after the Browns fired coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Freddie Kitchens, who was the interim offensive coordinator during the second half of 2018, was named head coach.
"I believe in him," Mayfield said on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio (h/t Pat McManamon of ESPN.com). "That's not to say anything about anybody else, but you know what? We had something special, and I want to build on it."
Browns general manager John Dorsey has went about providing Mayfield and Kitchens with the best possible supporting cast. The team signed running back Kareem Hunt, who will serve an eight-game suspension for kicking and shoving a woman in a Cleveland hotel, and traded for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants.
"We just want to make sure that we have enough competition," Dorsey said of his team's offseason. "We still have some more weeks ahead to see if we can add some quality players to this team. You just want to make sure these guys pan out.
"At the end of the day, good teams win in the fall. OTAs are starting, you have Freddie here beginning to sit there and begin to set the plan out for the team moving forward. ... What these guys have to come to is with a common goal and common purpose and really what it takes to advance to that next level."
The Browns have also been bet down to 20-1 odds to win the Super Bowl after opening at 30-1. They are also listed as the favorites to win the AFC North, something they have never done.
