General manager Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns have done a good job of constructing a complete, competitive roster. Well, only as complete and competitive as one can get under a salary cap. The Browns lead the league in money spent per year and the talent shows across the roster.
With clever layering in the bookkeeping, Berry has found a way to sustain the spending by pushing cap hits across multiple years in the future. Andrew Berry just renegotiated Jedrick Wills’ contract to create more cap room.
Buy Browns TicketsIt is difficult to find weak spots on the roster, all things considered. Here are the three weakest units going into the season.
Defensive tackle
Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski’s regime has seen constant turnover in this position. Jordan Elliott, one of their original draft picks, is the only defensive tackle returning from last season. Last year’s defensive tackle room was a primary reason for the Browns’ historically bad run defense. It’s only natural for a massive overhaul to take place. Unfortunately, this is the 4th overhaul in 4 years. The fans will see a lot of new faces playing this season.
Hopefully, the off-season additions of free agent Dalvin Tomlinson and third-round pick Siaki Ika will bring about the stability that is desperately needed. The late addition of Shelby Harris, a presumed starter, should fortify the room. The main challenge facing these three is their alignment and synergy. Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris have had long and successful careers playing the 3-technique, but one will be asked to play the 1-technique this year.
The 1-technique is the defensive tackle spot lining up between the guard and center. It is an important position in run defense as their alignment prioritizes getting double-teamed, allowing the rest of the defensive line to get a 1 on 1 matchup. It’s important that the 1-technique can maintain the line of scrimmage against a double team. If not they can easily be knocked back into the path of the linebackers behind them. This was a major problem last year.
Siaki Ika is the only defensive tackle with experience being a run stuffer, but not at the professional level. Siaki played under Dave Aranda at both LSU and Baylor. Ika played nose tackle under the defensive guru and did a good job of stopping the run. Aranda’s system is vastly different from Jim Schwartz’s system. Schwartz alluded to it when they drafted Ika. Telling Ika he was going to be a Ferrari from now on and not a dump truck. Aranda tasked Ika with lining up over the center and controlling the two gaps next to him. Schwartz will instead ask the rookie to get upfield from the 1-technique. This could prove a challenge for the young player and the solution could take seasons.
The rest of the room is filled out by young veterans such as Jordan Elliott, Maurice Hurst II, and practice squad member Trysten Hill. Each player has flashed talent over their NFL career but has yet to show consistency for a variety of reasons. The Browns will need a breakout season from one of the three if the Browns hope to have an above-average run defense. I hate to harp so much on the run defense, but as we saw with the Patriots, Saints, and Falcons last season, an awful run defense can lose games.
Tight end
It feels like ages ago watching the Browns rely on throwing the ball out of three tight end sets. Stefanski has built a strong history in Cleveland using multiple tight ends, forcing defensive coordinators into complicated run-and-pass conflicts. The acquisition of Deshaun Watson and moving towards a pass-centric offense has been the catalyst behind a slightly modified tight end room.
David Njoku is once again back and his contract looks better by the year. The veteran leader has improved his skills every offseason and I cannot wait to see how he did so this year. Njoku entered the league as a raw 20-year-old. He was an inadequate blocker, and a sloppy route runner, but an exceptional athlete with a desire to get better. Seven years later, Njoku has flourished, becoming a substantial blocker and a good receiver. Despite his injuries, Njoku has been a fringe top 5 tight end in the NFL. If the tight end further refined his route-running ability, Njoku could receive the national hype befitting a top-five tight end.
The Cleveland Browns signed Jordan Akins, a former teammate of Deshaun Watson, this offseason. The tight end is a threat in the passing game, especially in the red zone, but he’s uninspiring as a run blocker. Akins should be the second tight end when the Browns run-heavy personnel. This could lead to a decrease in efficiency when the Browns run the ball. In case it does, Akins’ chemistry with Deshaun through the air should more than make up for it.
Harrison Bryant was one of Berry and Stefanski’s draft picks from the first year. The tight end has been serviceable since the Browns drafted him. Bryant has excelled in the role of H-Back in multiple tight end sets, where he can build up momentum to help him block or get to his route faster. There’s still a lot left to be desired when he’s playing in-line as linebackers can rough him up. With the addition of Akins as a pass catcher, Bryant may be relegated to more of a blocking role. Hopefully, Bryant has improved his strength and hand striking this offseason to better accommodate that role. The young tight end could benefit the team and his career in that role.
The Browns have a strong number-one option on the team, but he has had an unlucky career staying healthy. They will probably have to rely on Akins and Harrison Bryant to pick up a larger role than they’re accustomed to. Otherwise, the room is solidly built out of complementary pieces. The Browns will need to keep an eye out for any tight ends that could become available during the season.
Running back
The running back room has a strong number one option and a promising number two. However, the Browns could still use a third option after trading for Pierre Strong from the Patriots. The Browns have certainly developed a type for running backs. The Browns are favoring true bell-cow types who have a great mixture of height, weight, and speed that make them dangerous in the running game. This archetype does lead to a lot to be desired in the passing game which appears to be a weakness in the unit.
Nick Chubb is the best pure runner in football and has been for the past handful of seasons. Even if he were to suffer the worst season of his career, he would become the franchise’s second-leading rusher. By the end of the month, he should surpass Mike Pruit, and by Thanksgiving, he should surpass Leroy Kelly’s 7,274 career rushing yards. After that, only Jim Brown’s 12,312 rushing yards and time will be in his way. Rare air to be in. By the end of the season, the 27-year-old will hopefully show the world that he is the best running back in the league and not just the best “pure runner”. To do so he will have to see an uptick in receiving production, and I believe he finally has that opportunity. Nick Chubb should be the start and end of any discussion about running backs after the season.
Jerome Ford is an explosive running back who showed big-play ability on kick returns last season. On kick return, he has shown exceptional vision, patience, and burst. The Browns displayed a lot of trust in the young player, penciling him as the primary backup early in the off-season. A thigh injury in August kept him out for most of the month, revealing how fragile the room can become. While the Browns relied on the familiar duo of John Kelly Jr., and Demetric Felton it was apparent that changes needed to be made.
The Browns traded for running back Pierre Strong Jr. on one of the final days of the preseason. The young running back is a talented runner, but once again, he has shown little as a receiver. Pierre displayed good patience and acceleration during his college career. Despite a time of 4.37 in the 40-yard dash, Strong Jr. hasn’t shown off breakaway speed on the field. Overall, Strong Jr. is a quality backup who could develop into a solid contributor.
It’s disingenuous to say that a team’s position is weak when the top player is one of the best in the league. However, the room is questionable behind the tip of the spear. Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr., both drafted in the same year, are still green behind the ear. Pierre Strong Jr. has seen the most action on offense with 10 carries and 100 yards to his name.
The room gets concerning when you consider the injury luck of Chubb and Ford who have missed substantial time in almost every season. I’m not so worried about the passing production the running backs provide, as teams with mobile quarterbacks, like Deshaun Watson, don’t target their running backs compared to pocket passers. While the room does have a lot of potential between Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr., it lacks the comfort that comes with experience.
