Eyes of the Guru IDP Info, Part 10: Cleveland Browns

Photo: USA Today Sports

For the second straight season, the Browns' pass defense was spectacular, while the run defense was less than. Cleveland led the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt. They were second in passing yards allowed, their 18 interceptions were tied for third most, and their 49 sacks ranked sixth. Meanwhile, the run defense tied for 20th in yards per carry, finished 17th in points, and no one allowed more runs of 20+ yards. All while facing the seventh-fewest rushing attempts.   

Cleveland did not dump a ton of capital on the defensive side this offseason but at least the moves they made look like upgrades. Their two biggest needs were up the middle at tackle and linebacker. Both of those positions were addressed and, at least on paper, improved.

Defensive Linemen

Defenses under coordinator Jim Schwartz have a reputation for getting after quarterbacks. The 2023 Browns did nothing to tarnish that reputation. Schwartz will blitz some, but he doesn't like to rely on it to get pressure. The defensive line accounted for 38.5 of the team's 49 sacks last season, so Schwartz was probably satisfied, at least for the most part.

Any defensive coordinator would be thrilled to have a player like Myles Garrett to work with. The 2017 first-overall pick came with grand expectations and has done nothing to disappoint. Garrett is an elite, three-down defensive end who does a great job setting the edge versus the run and is one of the league's premier pass rushers. He is a leader and the cornerstone of the Cleveland defense.

Garrett got off to a modest start with 30 combined stops and seven sacks as a rookie in 2017. Since that time, he's cranked out six consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, including at least 14 in each of the last three.

With 13 sacks over the first ten games last year, Garrett was on pace for what would have been a career-best and league-leading 21.5 when he suffered a shoulder injury in week twelve. He only missed one game but was limited by the injury, posting one sack over the final seven games. The sore shoulder impacted his tackle production as well, with the 42 combined stops being Garrett's lowest total since an injury-shortened 2019.  

Garrett doesn't like to come off the field much. He played over 75% of the snaps in all but three starts last year and regularly exceeded 85%. Two of those three light games were due to the shoulder. He is dealing with a minor hamstring issue this summer but is otherwise healthy. Garrett slipped out of the top ten last year but, barring a setback, should return to elite, top-five status in 2024.

One thing the Browns lack is a bookend for Garrett. Last season, they used a committee approach with three other players seeing at least 410 snaps. Za'Darius Smith was the anointed starter, but Ogbo Okoronkwo and Alex Wright also played significant roles. The result was 15 sacks between them. The problem for IDP managers is that each player had at least four and a half while none managed more than 31 combined tackles. The rotation got the job done for the Browns, but it did nothing for us. With no additions and all three players still in the fold, it looks like they will use the same approach this year.

The Browns play an even front with two tackles on the field at a time. Last year they used four players in a virtually even rotation between Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst II, and Jordan Elliott. Elliott moved on so the team added veteran Quinton Jefferson to replace him. They also used their first draft pick, which was in round two, on Ohio State's Mike Hall.  

No one outside the first four players saw any action last year until rookie third-round pick Siaki Ika took over for an injured Hurst in week 15. Unless the team elects to move on from one of the four veterans, we can expect a similar approach in 2023, with Ika and Hall likely having few, if any, opportunities. The young guys will likely be groomed for bigger roles in 2025 when Jefferson and Hurst will be free agents.

There is IDP potential here, but the chances of it showing up are slim. Harris led the team's tackles with 17 solo stops in 2023, while Tomlinson led the group in sacks with three. Skip all of these guys on draft day. If one of them shows up in the first couple of weeks, pick them up then.  

• DE Myles Garrett – Elite tier-one
• DE Za'Darius Smith – Injury sleeper, could produce with more opportunities
• DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – Injury sleeper who could produce with a bigger role
• DE Alex Wright – Injury sleeper
• DE Sam Kamara – No impact
• DE Isaiah McGuire – No impact
• DT Dalvin Tomlinson – Marginal value at best
• DT Quinton Jefferson – No impact expected
• DT Mike Hall – Dynasty deep sleeper at best
• DT Shelby Harris – No impact
• DT Siaki Ika – No impact
• DT Maurice Hurst – No impact
• DT Jowon Briggs – Developmental rookie