Browns' Kitchens: Being better on paper 'doesn't mean anything'

The Cleveland Browns have revamped the roster this offseason, but Freddie Kitchens won't say his squad has improved just yet.

Despite a number of notable additions, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Cleveland's head coach will defer judgment until after his team takes the field.

"We're better on paper than we were last year," Kitchens told MMQB's Albert Breer on Friday. "That doesn't mean anything other than, we're better on paper. I mean this from the bottom of my heart - there are a lot of teams out there that have talent, there are a lot of teams out there that have good players individually.

"There aren't a lot of teams out there that play together as a team, where it means something to line up with each other. That's where we've got to get to."

Cleveland was one of the big winners of the offseason, adding Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon, and Odell Beckham Jr., among others.

Kitchens, though, stresses the need for trust between his players and hopes his team forges relationships while blocking outside noise.

"None of the voices outside that locker room matter," he said. "At some point, we need to build relationships in our locker room. I think we did a good job of that during the last part of last year, but no two teams are the same, no two teams stay the same. And the journey starts right now. The journey starts now. Now, are we going to win a championship in March? No. Are we going to win one April 1? No.

"But what we do collectively starting April 1, as far as forming our team, as far as who they are, and who they want to be identified as, it starts now."

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