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An Overview of the Cleveland Browns Defense
The Browns' defense did most things well in 2022 and 2023. The offense was a mess, but the defense seemed to be on its way. In 2024, the wheels came off on both sides of the ball.
Sure, they were 11th in passing yards, but that was only because Cleveland faced the fifth fewest throws. Only four teams allowed more yards per attempt. The low number of pass attempts was because no one had to throw on a run defense that gave up 4.5 yards per carry. They surrendered too many long plays on the ground and through the air. The run defense gave up 22 plays of 20+ yards, which was the most in the league. The pass defense tied for 27th with 56 plays of 20+, while only two teams allowed more than Cleveland's 13 plays of 40+.
The Browns didn't take the ball away either. Their four interceptions were 32nd, and the combined 12 takeaways ranked 31st. All of that factored into 25.6 points per game, which will not get it done. The best thing to be said about this unit in 2024 is that they had respectable sack production with 41.
Cleveland had holes to fill on both sides of the ball, so they were not able to throw all of their capital at the defense. They did, however, make big investments. The interior line is looking at two new starters. Maliek Collins came via free agency, and the team used their first-round pick on Michigan's Mason Graham. They added veteran depth on the edge by signing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and picked up their next starting weakside linebacker, Carson Schwesinger, in round two. They signed veteran linebacker Jerome Baker to give them some depth, but might already need him to start. On paper, this unit looks much better than it played last year, but there are still some holes to fill.
Cleveland Browns Defensive Linemen
Defenses under coordinator Jim Schwartz have a reputation for getting after quarterbacks. The 2024 Browns did nothing to tarnish that reputation. Schwartz doesn't like to rely on the blitz but is willing to do so when necessary. When a defensive line has one player with more than four sacks, it becomes necessary. Cleveland's defensive line produced 38.5 sacks in 2023. Last year, the total slumped to 31.5, and Myles Garrett had 14 of them.
Any defensive coordinator would be thrilled to have a player like Garrett. The 2017 first-overall pick came with grand expectations and has done nothing to disappoint. Garrett is an elite, three-down defensive end who does a great job setting the edge versus the run and is one of the league's premier pass rushers. He is a leader and the cornerstone of the Cleveland defense.
Garrett got off to a modest start with 30 combined stops and seven sacks as a rookie in 2017. Since that time, he's cranked out seven consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, including at least 14 in each of the last four.
With 13 sacks over the first ten games in 2023, Garrett was on pace for what might have been a career-best and league-leading 21.5 when he suffered a shoulder injury in week twelve. He only missed one game but was limited by the injury, posting one sack over the final seven games. He set a new career high in solo tackles last year, reaching 40 for the first time. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, it came with a career-low 7 assists. Garrett can always be counted on for a solid contribution in the turnover columns. Over the last two seasons, he has seven forced fumbles and a pair of recoveries.
Garrett doesn't come off the field much. He played over 75% of the snaps in all but three starts last year, totaling 826 on the season. Garrett slipped out of the top ten while dealing with the sore shoulder in 2023; he made it back in 2024, finishing eighth. He's a rock-solid number one for us. If the organization ever gets him some help, Garrett will likely return to being the perennial top five.
The Browns have used bubble gum and Duct Tape to address the other edge position over the last several years. From Olivier Vernon in 2020, to Jadevenon Clowney for a couple of seasons, and Za'Darius Smith for the first half of last year, they have gotten by with patchwork. The trend continues in 2025, except this time, they were unable to land that eight or nine sack guy. Cleveland had to settle for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Tryon-Shoyinka was a first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2021. With a career total of 15 sacks and no more than 5 in any season, he has not lived up to the expectations that come with the draft status. The change of scenery could kickstart Tryon-Shoyinka's career, but don't count on it. He flopped in a Buccaneers scheme that was highly conducive to statistical production. While he adds another veteran body to the mix, it is not even certain that Tryon-Shoyinka will beat out Isaiah McGuire or Alex Wright for the starting job.
McGuire was a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2023 and Wright a third-rounder in 2022. Wright showed some promise, going 16-9-5 and forcing three turnovers on 410 plays in 2023. He was 5-2-1 in three games last year before a torn triceps ended his season. McGuire was part of a virtually equal three-man rotation with Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo over the first half of 2024. His playing time increased somewhat after Smith was traded. McGiore finished 18-18-2 with 3 forced fumbles on 469 snaps.
Unless one of these guys takes the bull by the horns, we are probably looking at another three-man rotation, leaving Garrett as the only viable IDP target.
The Browns' interior positions were a mess last year. Dalvin Tomlinson underperformed, Shelby Harris was adequate before missing games late in the year, Quinton Jefferson bombed and was released, Maurice Hurst II battled an ankle injury all year, and second-round pick Mike Hall Jr. dealt with an early suspension and a late knee injury that limited him to eight games.
Tomlinson and Hurst are gone, Hall is on the PUP list, recovering from knee surgery, and Harris continues to fight the ankle issue. It's a good thing the team signed Maliek Collins and drafted Mason Graham.
Collins is a solid veteran addition who has performed admirably on the field at his four previous stops. He has 29.5 career sacks over nine seasons, but has recorded more than 20 solo stops once, with a career high of 37 combined tackles and 5 sacks. It would be a shock if he were to suddenly break out in year ten.
It would be far less surprising if Graham were to put up useful production as a rookie. He is expected to play the three-technique position, which should help limit the number of double teams he faces. He is quick and disruptive with a knack for getting through the crease on pass plays. Graham holds up well at the point of attack, with strong hands to get off blockers quickly and make tackles versus the run.
Graham's college production was not eye-catching, but there is an interesting trend. He was a three-year starter at Michigan, where he played in 14 games as a freshman, 13 as a sophomore, and 12 last year. Yet, despite the reduction in games, his production, in both the tackle columns and sack department, increased each year. In 2024, Graham finished with 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
The other thing that caught my eye was several draft experts calling out their comparisons of Graham to Christian Wilkins, who happens to have been a perennial IDP stud over the last few years. We will have to see if he can live up to those lofty expectations.
- Edge Myles Garrett – Elite tier-one
- Edge Alex Wright – Worth keeping an eye on
- Edge Isaiah McGuire – Watchlist worthy
- Edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Change of venue could create a spark
- Edge Julian Okwara – No expectations
- DT Maliek Collins – Marginal value at best
- DT Mason Graham – High-potential rookie
- DT Shelby Harris – Limited impact expected
- DT Sam Kamara – No impact
- DT Mike Hall Jr. – Likely to open the season on the PUP list
- DT Jowon Briggs – No impact
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