Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill. Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

New Browns player thinks all of the pieces are there to win a Super Bowl

The Cleveland Browns have been one of the NFL's most disappointing teams over the past two seasons, but that is not stopping free agent addition Juan Thornhill from dreaming big. 

Thornhill told the Browns website after his signing that the Browns have "all of the pieces" in place to win a Super Bowl

"All of the pieces are here," Thornhill told the team's website. "They've got a really good quarterback, receivers, the defense is super strong. I feel like all of the pieces are here and we have that capability of getting there and making a splash in the playoffs and making it to the Super Bowl."

Thornhill spent the first four years of his NFL career playing in Kansas City where he reached three Super Bowls and won two of them. So he definitely brings some championship experience to an organization that is badly lacking that. 

But you have also probably never heard a player sign with a new team and say anything other than something overly optimistic. Nobody comes in and says, "This team is really far away" after signing a new contract. 

Having said that, the Browns are still probably really far away.

They looked like a team on the rise and on the verge of becoming a serious Super Bowl contender after making the playoffs in 2020 and winning the Wild Card game in Pittsburgh, but they took significant steps backwards over the past two years, finishing with back-to-back losing records and last place finishes in the AFC North.

Everything about their success or failure in the coming years will hinge on what Deshaun Watson does at quarterback. After missing nearly two full years of football due to a hold out in Houston and a suspension, he struggled mightily when finally returning in his debut with the Browns. 

If he is not good, it is hard to imagine the Browns being anything more than what they have been the past two years. 

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