The Cleveland Browns won’t look back on their 2024 season with too much fondness. They finished last in the AFC North with a 3-14 record after making the playoffs in 2023, but that hasn’t stopped them from enjoying the end of their campaign.
What Happened in the Latest Episode of Hard Knocks?
In the latest episode of “Hard Knocks” — which was re-formatted this year to feature the entire AFC North division on the in-season version of the show — Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz found some time to poke fun at the team’s best player.
Coach really pulled up the picture of 14 year old Myles Garret 😂 #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/J3MfdhJF68
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 8, 2025
It wasn’t a glamorous year for Cleveland’s defense, as they finished the regular season ranked 19th in total defense (allowing 342.1 yards per game) and T-27th in scoring defense (allowing 25.6 points per game) after finishing first and 13th in those categories a year ago.
Meanwhile, Garrett continues his Hall of Fame trajectory, tallying at least 14 sacks for the fourth consecutive season, on top of leading the league in tackles for loss with 22.
Cleveland has already fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey (and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson), though Schwartz appears safe for now. He and head coach Kevin Stefanski have a lot of work to do to get the team back on track in 2025.
Cleveland Browns Need More From Myles Garrett’s Supporting Cast
Outside of Garrett, not one Browns defender finished with six or more sacks in 2024. Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith ranked second on the team with 5.0.
The Browns also ranked last in interceptions (four) and turnover margin (-22). No matter how good any team is, it will not be able to overcome losing the turnover battle by about 1.3 per game.
Per PFN’s Defense+ metric — a cumulative metric that weighs everything a defense does, from yards per play allowed to pressure percentage when not blitzing — the Browns’ defense finished the regular season just inside the top 10 units.
“The Browns finished with a 40% pressure rate without blitzing, best in the NFL. That resulted in the ninth-best defense by pass success rate and the eighth-lowest third-down conversion rate allowed,” Sterling Xie observed.
“It was never going to be possible to repeat last season’s surprise playoff run with one of the worst offenses in recent memory. But armed with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and the possibility of a franchise quarterback finally arriving to Cleveland, perhaps the Browns’ defense finally gets the support it deserves in 2025.”
It’ll certainly be Cleveland’s bottom line if they can acquire a signal-caller that wrestles the starting QB job away from Deshaun Watson, though that may happen by default, no matter who the Browns draft.
On defense, the Browns have to focus on generating pressure on quarterbacks, which in turn should lead to more turnovers and better field position for the offense. Garrett is a defensive system unto himself, but not even he can mask all the flaws that currently plague the Browns’ roster.
Schwartz should be credited with trying to keep spirits high in the locker room during a lost season, but he’ll have to refocus his efforts on his unit this offseason. The Browns can’t afford to laugh about their defensive struggles for long, no matter how many times Garrett notches 14+ sacks.