Mina Kimes: Expect Browns Defense to be More Aggressive on Back End

The acquisition of Za'Darius Smith by the Cleveland Browns had a number of large outlets to take a minute to look at what the organization has been doing this offseason. On NFL Live Monday, the insightful Mina Kimes discussed the hire of Jim Schwartz and what that will mean for the Browns defense this coming year.

Last year, when the Browns defense played zone they ranked 24th in EPA/play—in man coverage, they ranked 2nd and allowed the lowest QBR in football.

Expect new DC Jim Schwartz to call a more aggressive defense. pic.twitter.com/PcssAVOIVO
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 15, 2023

Kimes points out the disparity between the efficiency of the Browns defense utilizing man coverage versus zone. The Browns had a number of blown coverages while playing zone and yielded a number of big plays, which makes the zone coverage numbers look worse than otherwise would be, but let's not lose sight of her point.

The Browns have excellent man cover corners between Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson. They just drafted Cameron Mitchell and that's where he thrived in his collegiate career.

Based on the data Kimes presents, it's easy to believe that the Browns would've been a much better defense if they played nothing but true man and match coverages. And if that simply eliminated coverage busts, it's certainly possible. But the reason the Browns had to mix up their coverages was because their pass rush was so limited.

Once the quarterback knows it's man coverage, there's not much to read. They've identified where the safeties are pre-snap and it's just finding the open guy. If Myles Garrett didn't get to the quarterback, the receivers could outlast the coverage and get open.

Now, with everything the organization has done to improve their pass rush, this gives the Browns the ability to play man with relative impunity. Even if the quarterback and receivers know it's man coverage, they may not have the time to take advantage, especially if corners are able to disrupt the timing of the routes initially. The pass rush could arrive too quickly.

And even though opponents can utilize passing concepts like rub routes to create open receivers, that still takes time. That's also where the Browns can employ a match coverage and let the opponent dictate the matchups before becoming man coverage.

There is plenty to criticize about defenses under Joe Woods the past few seasons including the usage of the talent they did have, but the biggest reason Schwartz's approach can be successful is because of personnel. The Browns can be aggressive in their coverages because they are getting to the point where they have the talent up front to allow it to excel.

The Browns should be able to play faster and the defensive front is where most of the subterfuge will occur with variation in the alignments as well as stunts. Players will love it and that should hopefully allow for a more effective as well as consistent product.