Browns in search for defensive end depth
BEREA — Although the Browns are a legitimate contender, it would be foolish to declare their roster free of weaknesses.
But if one position is begging for an upgrade more than any other, it’s defensive end.
Who can be counted on to pick up the slack if Myles Garrett or Jadeveon Clowney is injured?
Tuesday’s news of No. 3 end Takk Mckinley returning to the Browns is encouraging, but it’s far from a cure-all at the position. Mckinley missed three weeks of training camp because of undisclosed personal reasons. The Browns are cautiously optimistic he’ll work through his issues, though nothing is guaranteed.
Garrett hasn’t played a full season since 2018. Clowney and Mckinley haven’t played a full season since 2017.
Garrett missed two games in November with COVID-19 and struggled the rest of the season while the aftereffects of the virus were exacerbated by the All Pro’s asthma.
Clowney played just eight games last season with the Tennessee Titans before undergoing surgery on torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee on Dec. 6.
Mckinley played just four games with the Atlanta Falcons last season and failed physicals administered by the Bengals and 49ers before being placed on injured reserve by the Raiders because of a groin injury.
No one seizing the No. 4 role is a bit unsettling.
On the depth chart, Porter Gustin is the No. 4 end, but in 20 career regularseason games he has one sack.
Cameron Malveaux has played 15 games and has two sacks. Joe Jackson has played eight games without a sack.
Curtis Weaver and undrafted rookie Romeo Mcknight haven’t played a down in the regular season and don’t appear to be ready to break out.
Gustin had a sack in the preseason opener. Jackson had a few pressures,
including one that helped rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-koramoah notch a sack.
Jackson has flashed the most in training camp and the preseason, but coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t exactly give him a ringing endorsement Tuesday.
“He has done a nice job with his reps out here. Has to stay at it. Has to continue working on his technique,” Stefanski said.
Rookie offensive lineman James Hudson has faced all the backup ends a bunch because the Browns have been him using him at left and right tackle in training camp. Hudson’s pick for the toughest backup end to block is Malveaux.
“He’s fast off the ball. He’s powerful,” Hudson said. “You don’t really know what he’s going to give you. He can give you the illusion that he’s going to speed rush and then turn it into a power move. He’s got some sneaky power to him. You never really know what he’s going to do.”
Perhaps the Browns like the idea of using defensive tackle Malik Mcdowell as an end, too, given he has a 6-foot-6 frame and elite athleticism that contributed to him being drafted in the second round in 2017 before an ATV accident and legal trouble prevented him from playing in the NFL.
But the answers aren’t clear, and the Browns should have trade opportunities on or around the league’s Aug. 31 cutdown day. They have a wide receiver, a defensive tackle and an offensive lineman or two to spare.