The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Bryant poised to move from end to tackle in Browns new defense
Desmond Bryant
POSITION » Defensive tackle HEIGHT, WEIGHT » 6-foot-6, 310 BIRTHDATE » Dec. 15, 1985 YEARS PRO » Eighth year COLLEGE » Harvard RANKING » 20th of 25 BRYANT’S BACKGROUND » Desmond Bryant signed with the Raiders as an undrafted rookie in 2009 and signed with the Browns as a free agent in 2013. Browns current head coach Hue Jackson was the Raiders head coach in 2011, so Jackson knew about Bryant before being hired in 2016 to coach the Browns.
To say Bryant has had tribulations is an understatement.
He was detected with an irregular heartbeat during the 2013 season and had to miss the last four games after undergoing an ablation, similar to what Indians manager Terry Francona went through before the All-Star break earlier this month.
Bryant bounced back from the heart problem to start 15 games in 2014 and lead all Browns defensive linemen with five sacks.
Bryant was preparing for the 2016 season and working out on his own in early July when he tore a pectoral muscle. The injury forced him to miss the entire season.
Football is in Bryant’s blood.
His cousin, Chester McGlockton, played 12 seasons
in the NFL.
Bryant put his Harvard education to use. He majored in economics and spent four seasons interning at a financial advising firm. WHY BRYANT IS RANKED
20TH » Bryant is 31 and is making the move from defensive end to defensive tackle. He might not get as much playing time as he did earlier in his career and he might not even start, but he is still a load at 310 pounds.
2016 RECAP » You could look to the season-ending injury lifting weights on his own as one reason the Browns’ pass rush was so pathetic in 2016. The Browns lost their leading sack producer from a year before and had no one to replace him. Bryant started 14 games at left end in 2015 and made 33 tackles to go with his five sacks. He missed two games with a shoulder injury. WHY BRYANT IS IMPORTANT IN 2017 » The Browns need leadership on their young defensive line, and Bryant can provide it.
Moving from defensive end to tackle should be no problem for an eight-year veteran with a Harvard education.
“Desmond is one of my favorites,” head coach Hue Jackson said. “It was disappointing we did not have him this past year. He was one of the missing links in our football team. He’s a veteran player, knows how to play, extremely tough, extremely bright and loves football. Having him back has been good.” PREDICTION FOR 2017 » Bryant is scheduled to make $3 million this season. That’s a bargain for the Browns if he can duplicate his 2015 season. He is penciled in as a tackle, but he can still play end when the Browns line up in a three-man line. His pass rush ability from inside will make pass rushing ends Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah more effective.