Browns Defensive Depth Chart Analysis | Defense
With improvements in free agency and the draft, the Browns defense has significantly improved this offseason (on paper). Regardless of the quality of the offense, there are several potential game-winners on the defensive side of the ball.
Interior Defensive Line
One of the Browns’ many additions on defense is Malik Jackson. The former Eagle has appeared in 126 games, including 73 starts since 2012. This past year, Jackson registered 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks over 15 games. For his career, Jackson has 35 sacks and 99 QB hits.
Andrew Billings is back with the team in 2021 after opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns surrounding the pandemic. Jordan Elliott, a 2020 third-round pick, recorded 15 tackles in 16 games while making one start.
Fourth-round draft pick Tommy Togiai will compete with the likes of Sheldon Day and Malik McDowell to be the fourth man in the rotation. A name to watch out for is Marvin Wilson out of FSU. Once viewed as a top-end talent in the 2021 class, Wilson could prove to be the best undrafted free-agent signing anywhere in the league.
EDGE
At this point, there is little to be said about how special Myles Garrett is for the Browns. He earned unanimous All-Pro honors, posted his best season yet in a Browns uniform, and finished sixth in the league with 12 sacks, all while missing two games. He even added 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries to boot.
The Browns added Jadeveon Clowney to work opposite Garrett. The Browns are not an ideal scheme fit for Clowney, but he is a talented player. His career stats (32 sacks) do not scream playmaker. However, prior to a poor 2020, his work has been impressive, even if it does not show up on the stat sheet. Playing opposite Garrett could allow Clowney to post some great numbers.
McKinley, a 2017 first-round pick, had 13 sacks in his first two NFL seasons. However, production quickly fell off. In 2019, he recorded just 3.5 sacks, and the Falcons placed him on IR. He played in four games in 2020 before Atlanta ultimately waived him in November. The 49ers and Bengals each claimed him, but he failed physicals both times. The Raiders eventually signed him, but he remained on IR his entire time in Las Vegas.
Joe Jackson, Porter Gustin, Cameron Malveaux, and Curtis Weaver have made a combined three starts.
Linebacker
Newly acquired Anthony Walker leads the Browns’ depth chart. Starting 46 of 48 possible games with the Indianapolis Colts, Walker made over 100 tackles in 2018 and 2019 and finished second on the team with 92 tackles in 2020. He also recorded 5 pass deflections and has snagged 1 interception in each of the last three seasons.
Sione Takitaki started in 12 games as a second-year pro, recording 67 tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown. Jacob Phillips had 25 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit, and 1 pass defensed in his rookie campaign last season.
The intriguing question is where second-round draft pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will fit. He should push both Takitaki and Phillips for starting roles in camp and preseason. He has the ability to fill that hybrid linebacker/safety role and could be a three-down linebacker for the Browns.
The Browns brought back former Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith after a bounceback 2020 season. Smith finished second on the team with 72 tackles, 1 interception, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble in 15 games.
Cornerback
As the leading cornerback on the Browns’ depth chart, Denzel Ward was phenomenal despite taking on every team’s best receiver. When targeted, he allowed the third-lowest passer rating (64.2). The only blemish on Ward’s career thus far is injuries. Through three seasons, he has yet to play a full 16-game slate. He played in 13 as a rookie and 12 in both 2019 and 2020.
Greedy Williams missed the 2020 season due to a “frozen shoulder.” It was an injury that took him out not only physically but also mentally. Something he opened up about in a recent interview. He will now have to compete with rookie cornerback and a first-round pick from 2021 Greg Newsome. Newsome was a fast riser leading into the draft and could push Williams for the starting role on the outside.
Another significant addition to the Browns’ depth chart is Troy Hill, who will take over the nickel cornerback role. He fills the hole vacated by the loss of both Kevin Johnson and Terrance Mitchell.
Safety
The backside of the Browns defense could look quite different in 2021 and might be the scariest part of their defense outside Myles Garrett.
Former Rams safety John Johnson was the Browns’ top free-agency target. Johnson is a versatile safety who can play free or strong and as a big nickel covering both tight ends and backs over the middle. He is also a candidate to wear the green dot as he served as the Rams’ defensive signal-caller.
The Browns will also likely see Grant Delpit make his much-anticipated debut. Delpit, a second-round pick out of LSU, ruptured his Achilles tendon during preseason workouts in 2020. He won the 2019 Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top defensive back.
He was one of three LSU players for the Browns to suffer season-ending injuries (Delpit, Williams, Beckham Jr). Delpit and Williams suffered their injuries during the same practice on August 24.
If Delpit is not ready to go at the start of the season, Ronnie Harrison Jr. would be the starter. Harrison Jr. played in 11 games in 2020, making seven starts. He recorded 38 tackles and 1 interception, which he returned for a 47-yard touchdown.
Fifth-round draft pick Richard LeCounte will compete for the role as the fourth safety. He should not see the field much on defense in 2021 unless major injuries occur to the three players in front of him.
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