Cleveland Browns CashBet Futures Odds and Analysis for 2022 NFL Season

Certainly, there’s a reason the Cleveland Browns don’t have an over/under win total posted.  It’s impossible to know what to make of them.  The Super Bowl best factor is that the Deshaun Watson saga hadn’t been settled.  With Watson for a full season, the Browns are a playoff club.  But without Watson, the Browns would be much lower in the eyes of gamblers.   Especially since they couldn’t mend fences with Baker Mayfield.  Having Watson for about half of the season would put the Browns around the middle.

2022 Cleveland Browns – CashBet NFL Odds Analysis

Of course, the Browns’ Watson sportsbook gamble was risky.  Countless articles have been written about reckless actions shown by the Browns in trading for Watson.  Cause by the fact that he’s been accused by more than 20 women of sexual misconduct.  Those columns outline the mismanagement of the Browns.  But gamblers want to know about the football ramifications.  Everyone must keep in mind that both topics are related.

At the onset, the Browns were blinded by the chance to land one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL.  They probably figured that it was like most controversial off-field stories.  Cleveland gambled that the press would burn hot for a couple of days.  And then everyone would mostly forget about it.   Usually, that is the way it happens.

But Watson wasn’t a backup betting on Super Bowl running back.  This was about a troubled but valuable quarterback that would become the marquee man of the Browns.  He was given a $230 million contract over five years.  Despite the fact that Watson faced civil lawsuits and a probable NFL suspension that wasn’t even settled.

The Browns saw everyone else bidding for Watson and probably panicked.  In turn, Cleveland probably thought that Watson would be suspended for half a season.  Thus, they decided to take bad press.  And then they banked on having 4.5 years or more with an elite quarterback.  A few teams were lining up for the same gamble.  The Browns “won” the Super Bowl betting odds sweepstakes.

In sum, Cleveland banked its franchise image, $230 million, and a boat load of impact-making draft picks on Watson.  As the accusations flooded in, it became clear that this wouldn’t be the normal end result for a player facing troubling charges.

Browns deserve everything they get

In turn, the Browns deserve everything they get from this Super Bowl betting gamble.  They knew what they were getting into.  Yet their arrogance believed that it would blow over.  Thus, gamblers have no sympathy if Watson gets a long suspension.  Good or bad, whatever happens in the future is all on the Browns’ brass.

From a football sense, Cleveland has been building for a while.  But they have only one playoff win to show for it.  Namely, Mayfield was supposed to be the answer and showed moments of promise.  But he fell out of favor.  Subsequently, Cleveland virtually gave Mayfield away for free to the Carolina Panthers.  To illustrate, the Browns are paying $10.5 million of his salary this year.

Yet there’s a lot to like about the rest of the roster.  Nick Chubb is an All-Pro caliber running back behind a good offensive line.  Meanwhile, Amari Cooper comes over from the Dallas Cowboys as a primary receiver.  The defense is led by perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett.  And it rates as one of the best in the NFL.

Cleveland tore everything down, and hoarded salary-cap space and draft picks in hopes of building a title contender.  Accordingly, they should be entering a fruitful era.  But they soured on Mayfield and took a bad gamble on Watson.  Now the Browns face an uncertain future.