Browns Defense Better Equipped to Defend Pass, Generate Stops

With the moves the Cleveland Browns have already made in free agency, they are better equipped to defend the pass, which combined with their offense, could make them one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns still have work to do, but the free agent additions they have made on defense from other teams, save for one, have all been an aim to improve their effectiveness against the pass, which will have multiple benefits during the season.

S John Johnson, CB Troy Hill, EDGE Takkarist McKinley and DT Malik Jackson can all help the Browns against the run. That was an added benefit with both Johnson and Hill as defensive backs. That doesn't change the fact they were primarily added to help the Browns defend against the pass, which was the team's Achilles' heel in the 2020 season, not including losing two players that helped in that effort for the season due to injuring that particular tendon.

Only Anthony Walker was added with a heavy focus on stopping the run. Stopping the run is important, but the Browns showed they could muster up enough to at least frustrate opposing running games, which saw them often go almost entirely pass. Even when they knew the passing game was coming, they too often struggled to stop it, so their run defense wasn't tested much. It was just easier to pass.

This was particularly frustrating as the offense on three different occasions put together quarters that weren't long ago an entire game's worth of scoring. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Browns put up 24 points in the second quarter and would have 41 after three quarters. The Cowboys scored 24 in the final quarter of the game the Browns held on to win by 11.

Against the Tennessee Titans, the Browns had a 28 point second quarter in a game they won by just 6. And in the playoffs, the Browns were able to put 28 points up in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game they would win by 11.

The Browns want to continue to have an offense that can be explosive on the scoreboard in 2020 and give the team a lead. Now, they want to pair that with a defense that excels when they're ahead, able to close out games without the late game stress. The Browns often relied on their running game to operate as the closer last season to stop the defensive bleeding and while that will still be valuable, a more consistent pass rush and a dynamic secondary should shorten games and kill comeback hopes.

Johnson, Hill, McKinley and Jackson are talented players, but if the Browns offense can effectively eliminate the opposing running game from the equation in games, every one of these players should be more effective. Less time for quarterbacks to throw and defensive backs more capable of making plays on the football. Working in tandem, that should create more turnover opportunities for the Browns in addition to stops.

The Browns want to be able to ensure victory in games where they score 40+ points. But if this defense is talented enough and built to where a two-score lead makes them better, the Browns have a chance to be as dangerous a team as there is in the league in 2021.

The defense should be better equipped to generate stops, which should have a two-pronged effect.

Against the Cowboys, the second game against the Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers in the playoffs, the Browns had a combined 37 offensive possessions. They scored a total of 131 points in those games, 3.54 points per possession. The opponent scored a combined 122 points in those games.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and the last regular season against the Steelers, the Browns had a combined 33 offensive possessions, scoring 74 points. Now, the average points per possession is lower at 2.24, but so long as the Browns get the ball, they eventually score points.

The Browns only averaged 8.25 possessions in these games as opponents held onto the ball for long stretches of the game. And it's not as if the defense was producing a ton of stops. Much of the time, the opponent would simply take longer to eventually score. Against the Chiefs in the playoffs, the Browns couldn't get the ball back to the offense and they simply ran out of time in their effort to make a comeback.

The more opportunities Kevin Stefanski, Baker Mayfield and this offense have to work against a defense, the better the results. The Browns only fielded 35 punts in the 2020 regular season, barely two per game. If they can get that number closer to three, an extra possession per contest over the course of the season, it could mean an extra win in the standings.

The Chiefs, despite only scoring 22 points, never punted against the Browns in the playoffs. Turnovers are always important, but the Browns can't expect to enjoy a sustained playoff run if the opposing team's punter never takes the field.

There is still work to do and they have the capacity to continue improving this defense, but the changes they've already made to that side of the ball will have a meaningful impact on the fortunes of the Cleveland Browns in 2021.

READ MORE: Browns Free Agency Entering Week 2; What They Still Need, How They Get There