Cleveland Browns Defense is Finally Coming Together
The Cleveland Browns defense was built for a reason and it's becoming clearer each week.
Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns offense was expected to hit the ground running, while the rebuilt defense would need some time to gel. Thanks to injuries and inconsistency, both sides of the ball have struggled, but the defense has gradually shown more glimpses of the intended vision.
For the season, here is how the Browns defense stacks up to the rest of the league in basic stats:
Points allowed - 14th
Yards allowed - 4th
First downs allowed - 13th
Passing yards allowed - 7th
Passing touchdowns allowed - 25th
Rushing yards allowed - 11th
Rushing touchdowns allowed - 19th
Penalties committed - 16th
Score percentage - 18th
3rd down conversion percentage - 21st
For the most part, the unit is around the middle of the pack. It's seemed as if for much of the season, the defense plays well and then a back-breaking penalty is committed that extends a drive, or there's a miscommunication in the secondary that leads to a huge play given up.
That's why some of the basic stats can be misleading. Even advanced metrics may not be the most reliable way to gauge the team's performance. Pro Football Focus currently has Cleveland with the fifth-highest-graded defense in the NFL, eighth against the run, and fifth against the pass. Calling the Browns defense a top-five unit may not be the most accurate assessment. The week-to-week and even down-to-down consistency is just not there yet, but the potential certainly is.
Kansas City, Los Angeles, Arizona, and New England have all hung 30+ on the Browns, with the Chargers and Patriots scoring 47 and 45, respectively. ARI and NE dominated from start to finish, while the games against KC and LAC were shoot-outs that went down to the wire.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Browns defense has put together some very impressive performances. They held the Chicago Bears to just 6 points and 47 yards of offense in a historic beatdown, then limited the Minnesota Vikings, one of the top offenses in the league, to just 7 points the following week.
Over the past three weeks, opponents have scored a total of 38 points against Cleveland, with the Baltimore Ravens playing in two of those games. The Browns should have won both outings, if not for the struggles of the offense.
Over those two games, the Ravens turned the ball over six times and managed 692 yards of total offense. Lamar Jackson played poorly both times, if for only 10 snaps last week. His four interceptions in Week 12 were brutal, but he also averaged only 4.0 yards per carry. Baltimore scored 16 points and that proved enough to win, but that is the exception, not the rule.
One player is not enough to slow down Jackson, arguably the most dynamic player in the NFL. But the Browns defense is specifically designed to counter modern offensive schemes, including one as unique as the Ravens. The goal can be summed up in two words; responsibility and speed. All three levels of the defense need to be playing fundamentally-sound football, staying disciplined so that the speed of the second and third levels can counteract all the motion and misdirection and dynamism that offenses boast.
Sometimes that has happened this season, and other times it has not. The interior defensive line started out strong, but both Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell struggle on a weekly basis, with Jordan Elliott also not providing reliable play. The Patriots took full advantage of this weakness to the tune of 184 rushing yards, and teams have no fear of pounding the ball up the gut against Cleveland.
This does the inside linebackers no favors, and that's not an incredibly strong part of the defense either. Anthony Walker and Malcolm Smith have been fine, for the most part. And in a perfect world, that's all the Browns need from their LBs, because the iDL should be strong.
The EDGE play has been significantly better. Myles Garrett should be the Defensive Player of the Year, and while Jadeveon Clowney has battled injury, his impact across from Garrett has been felt much more than the stat sheet would indicate, as expected. Takk McKinley has provided some quality play as the first guy off the bench, including a strip-sack last week.
With the amount of nickel and dime Cleveland runs, Ronnie Harrison has played in the box as a pseudo-LB for much of the season, and unfortunately, he is not having the year he had hoped. Still, he does provide more speed and coverage ability than a typical LB and that allows the other safeties to be used more effectively.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is not a safety, but is one of the most impactful LBs in the game. His instincts, speed, and explosion allow him to make plays that few others can, and his performance between the tackles has been extremely impressive given his lack of size and having played that role practically never in college. He is a special talent, and he is a crucial part of this defense.
The play of Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome on the outside has forced opposing quarterbacks to pick their poison. Even Greedy Williams has put together a solid, albeit inconsistent, campaign as the third cornerback. Troy Hill's impact in the slot has been welcome, especially in run support as an overhang defender.
The safety play has been a mixed bag, and that's disappointing given the talent there. John Johnson was given a large amount of money to provide consistency in the backend, and it has taken him a while to get in a groove. He does seem to be settling into his role and has been the signal-caller for most of the year now, so that is a promising sign.
Grant Delpit's first professional campaign has been up-and-down, but he also seems to be finally adjusting as he shared two-high responsibilities with Johnson more and more.
There is so much talent in areas of this defense, while others (most notably the iDL) need significantly more. It is a fact that this year's unit is much better suited to hang with the best teams in the league, though it is far from a finished product.
These past two weeks against the Ravens offer a small glimpse of what could be in store for this team, and while there are contract extensions to give out and pending free agents to replace, the future is bright for the unit as a whole.
This season may not have gone according to plan, but this franchise is still well-positioned to contend moving forward. And a big reason for that is a modern defensive vision coming into focus.
READ MORE: Joe Woods Stayed True to his Vision Against Ravens, Defense Shined in Pivotal Victory
