The 2022 Cleveland Browns ranked 28th in Football Outsiders’ Defensive Adjusted Line Yards metric. They ranked 29th in running back yards allowed per carry (5.00), and they were near the bottom of the league in most situations that would indicate serious problems with one’s interior defensive line. So, they went out and got former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson on a four-year, $57 million deal with $27.5 million guaranteed.
The Vikings’ defense was a much bigger disaster in most areas last season, ranking 27th overall in DVOA, 26th against the pass, and 19th against the run, but the list of people to blame for that (starting with former defensive coordinator Ed Donatell) should not include Tomlinson, who had his most productive season as a pass-rusher and run-stopper in 2022. Most human beings his size (6-foot-3 and a conservative 325 pounds) move to and through the pocket the way he does.
