The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Defense will be key in setting tone for 2021
Seven starters from 2020 not on team
Every starter on offense returns from the 2020 team. The defense? That’s a completely different story.
Every starter from the offensive side of the ball is back from the 2020 team that finished 11-5 — a rarity in the era of free agency.
The defense? Well, that’s a completely different story. How quickly it comes together and whether the vast overhaul is a success will ultimately determine whether the Browns live up to the expectations fans and the national media have for them this season.
Seven of the players that started on defense in the divisional playoff loss to the Chiefs in January are no longer on the roster. That speaks to the drastic upgrade the defense needed and the money plus draft picks General Manager Andrew Berry used to make the upgrade happen.
Though the biggest changes to the defense were made in the recent offseason, they actually began last year when season-ending injuries to cornerback Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit forced the coaches to call an audible.
“There was an evolution of the defense last season,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Different faces in, different guys out. We added more in terms of the front and in terms of the (pass) coverage even late in the season.
“We expect defensively to be different. We obviously need to be better, and we know that as a unit. We’ve outlined ways we’re going to do that.”
Depending on whether they line up against the Chiefs Sept. 12 in Kansas City in their base 4-3-4 defense or in the nickel with four linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs to begin the game, the Browns will have eight or nine new starters taking cues from defensive coordinator Joe Woods.
Defensive end Myles Garrett and left cornerback Denzel Ward are the only certain starters back from the group that opened the 2020 season in Baltimore. Strongside linebacker Sione Takitaki would be included if the Browns match what the Chiefs show with three linebackers.
Mack Wilson missed the first two games of 2020 with a left knee injury. Whether he gets the start or Stefanski decides to go with rookie Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah, the weakside linebacker will be different. Jacob Phillips, who started the first game at weakside linebacker last year as a rookie, is on injured reserve.
Middle linebacker Anthony Walker, right defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, defensive tackles Andrew Billings and Malik Jackson, free safety John Johnson III and rookie Greg Newsome, the right cornerback, are new to the Browns.
Troy Hill, who along with Johnson, was part of the Rams top-ranked defense in 2020 and signed in free agency, will be the starting nickel back if the Browns go with five DBs.
Strong safety Ronnie Harrison did not become a starter last season until the fifth game when the Browns faced the Colts. Delpit would be new (he missed all last year with a ruptured Achilles) if the coaches decide to go with him over Harrison.
“Last year, there were a whole lot of things you can say, but we have the mindset of no excuses and no explanations,” Woods said. “Week in and week out, we try to find a way to win.
“Just based on practice time and players available, there were certain things that we weren’t able to get to, but now moving forward, we installed some new defensive packages and some new cover schemes, just so we can dictate the tempo a little bit more.”
Getting faster on defense was a focal point of the offseason. Signing Johnson and Hill in free agency plus drafting Owusu-Koramoah and Newsome checks that box.
Clowney weighs 255 pounds and backup defensive end Takk McKinley weighs 260. Olivier Vernon, who had nine sacks with the Browns as a defensive end last season, weighs 262 pounds.
Vernon suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the final game of the regular season last year and is currently a free agent.
At 221 pounds, OwusuKoramoah is the lightest linebacker on the team, but Woods isn’t concerned.
“When you look around, the league is becoming more of teams spreading you out and quick throws,” Woods said. “It’s becoming more matchups and space. Malcolm Smith (in his second year as a Browns linebacker) was really the first guy. He came out and he was about 225.
“We had (linebacker) Kwon Alexander in San Francisco. He was in the 220s. Just more of a premium on speed, but there’s enough size where those guys can play physically, and we have to be smart in terms of how we use him, as well.”
Which addition will have the biggest impact on the 2021 defense is difficult to forecast. It could be JOK, even if he is used only in pass rush situations to start the season. It could be Clowney, picked first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2014 draft.
The Browns are Clowney’s fourth team in four years. He is not as big as Garrett (272 pounds), nor as strong, but he gets to the quarterback.
“He will definitely complement Myles,” Woods said. “He’s known as an elite pass rusher. He’s very athletic and very fast.
“Offenses are going to make a choice of who they’re going to chip and where they’re going to slide the protection to. It’ll be a great complement, and we’ll also be able to move those guys around just to try to create some favorable matchups for ourselves.”
Teams were allowed to negotiate with free agents starting March 15 — about six weeks before the draft. If that is used as a measuring tool, then John Johnson III is the most important addition because he is the first player Berry signed in free agency.
Johnson replaces Andrew Sendejo, who was supposed to be a backup last season, but he became a starter when Delpit’s season ended. Sendejo, 33 years old last season, was a routine target of the Browns’ fans wrath last fall.
“Last year obviously was tough just because of everything we were going through (the novel coronavirus) and not practicing as much as we would like to, but I think with some of the new guys coming in, I just think that we’ve added some guys who have some talent and some coverage skills.” Woods said. “It gives me confidence when I can go back in certain situations that I can be aggressive — maybe calling more pressure, putting them on an island and letting the front get after the quarterback. I like the talent, but they have to do it on Sundays.”
The first test for Wood and his new-look defense is one they circled the day the 2021 schedule was released.