Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns: 5 Thoughts on the Defense

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After one week and one loss in the books for the Cleveland Browns, what can we takeaway about the defense as a whole

The Cleveland Browns opened their season in familiar fashion with a loss in Philadelphia but their defense, which was to be the team’s Achilles’ heel wasn’t. The Browns defense couldn’t have asked for a better opening opponent than the Philadelphia Eagles. Rookie quarterback making his first start after barely playing in the preseason in Carson Wentz with question marks all over the rest of the offense.

Wentz looked great in his debut and the Eagles took home the victory, but the Browns defense gave the offense plenty of opportunities to take control and ultimately win the game. The defense has a number of issues, but it had its share of bright spots too.

Obviously the major question with the Browns defense is whether or not things will change moving forward. However, it could also be elaborated upon to say that if things change, will the currently quality parts remain the same and will the poor spots improve?

Here are five thoughts on the defense coming out of the game and looking ahead.

1. Danny Shelton Coming Off Career-Game

For the first time his career, Shelton’s absence was notable. There was a drop off when Shelton wasn’t in the game against Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie, Shelton would come out of the game in key spots because Jamie Meder was more consistent performing his role. In this game, when Shelton wasn’t in, the defense simply wasn’t as good.

Shelton was a revelation as a pass rusher. Both dominating single blocks and shooting gaps on double teams, Shelton was disruptive. He didn’t register any sacks but he made an impact and caused problems for Carson Wentz and created opportunities for teammates, particularly Carl Nassib.

In run defense, Shelton still had some issues dealing with double teams but he still found a way to make plays. He punished the Eagles every time they only single blocked him and he was able to force running plays to bounce around him, enabling teammates’ opportunities to make plays. Unfortunately, they didn’t always deliver but there were some nice plays that Shelton caused.

The last thing with Shelton is in even fronts, he typically was playing a 1-tech nose with Carl Nassib outside of him. Especially when they were lined up facing the right side of the Eagles’ offensive line, they were a constant problem. Both players play with a ton of energy and don’t give up when they are on the field, so they punish opponents when they make the mistake of letting up.

It’s critical for Shelton that this carries over this week against the Baltimore Ravens and the rest of the season. The Browns need Shelton to live up to his draft status as the 12th pick of the draft last year. He needs to consistently deliver week in and week out if this defense is going to be respectable this year or next. This week if Shelton is on the left, he will be playing the premier right guard in the NFL in Marshal Yanda. It’s a huge test and opportunity for Shelton to make a statement.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws the ball away under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive end Carl Nassib (94) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

2. Carl Nassib Preseason Promise Carrying Over

Nassib got his first sack of his career, which was a gift, but beyond that, he was consistently an issue for the Eagles. Especially when lined up against Lane Johnson, the Eagles right tackle, he never seemed to tire. Nassib was able to put pressure on Wentz as well as chase down running plays from the back side.

Nassib’s sack was on a broken screen that Wentz didn’t throw. Nassib end up unblocked and got his money’s worth as he put Wentz into the turf. He was able to get a few hits on Nassib and he was never cheated, but he along with the Browns defense as a whole was aggressive but clean.

Some questioned if Nassib could carry over what was an impressive preseason into the regular season. Especially in the third and fourth games of the preseason, Nassib was seeing time against opposing team’s starters in nickel packages particularly.

Against the Eagles, he was on the field for everything and rarely got cheated. Opponents’ getting tape on him will help in blocking him, but the fact Nassib was such a problem for a player of Johnson’s caliber bodes well for what he can do as the season continues. And if teams have to start gameplanning against him, that would be a massive compliment for what Nassib can do as a third round rookie.

One thing that teams will probably stop doing is trying to single block him with a tight end.

If teams do resort to that strategy, we all know that’s going to end horribly for them.

3. Secondary Can’t Cover Anyone

Certainly, good run defense and a consistent pass rush will help a secondary, but neither of those were all that bad against the Eagles. The Browns hit Wentz nine times and sacked him twice. The run defense had some breakdowns but the Eagles still only averaged 3.9 yards per carry.

There were a ton of breakdowns. Wentz made some perfect passes in tight coverage and deserves all the credit for them. However, especially on play action that had crosses over the middle of the field, there were a number of plays with receivers that were simply wide open.

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The Browns had multiple situations where bad technique got them beat. On the touchdown to Nelson Agholor, Haden took false steps, opened the hips to the inside as Agholor released to the outside. Wentz made a great throw and Haden was simply out of position to make a play.

Taylor preemptively turned his hips to bail to cover a fade and was nowhere close when the receiver stopped for a comeback. Derrick Kindred got completely turned around on an out route by Zach Ertz.

Getting beat happens, but the technical failures need to be reduced significantly. The breakdowns that leave receivers wide open need to be eliminated entirely. This was an issue last year for the Browns and was awful against the Eagles.

One damning statistic encapsulates the secondary’s day. The Browns’ had just one pass deflection against the Eagles. Haden managed to get his hand on a pass where he was actually out of position and was able to recover. Pass rushers accounted for three pass deflections. Rookie pass rushers Carl Nassib, Emmanuel Ogbah and Joe Schobert all managed to get their hands on passes, which is good, but they got to the ball more than the secondary did.

Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey (58) against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

4. Chris Kirksey Effective in Expanded Role

Up to this point in his career, Kirksey has looked more like a package linebacker than a true three-down player. He has been a pretty good coverage linebacker, though had his share of breakdowns last year. In run defense, he’d have some bright spots but just wasn’t there yet.

The third year linebacker was his most aggressive in the game against the Eagles. He filled well at times and played downhill better than he has in the past.

Kirksey also looked good on the blitz. He showed excellent timing and was explosive knifing into the backfield. Kirksey also showed better power on the move. He was able to fight through blockers, even knock one down at one point and stay up and able to make plays.

His sack was a notable example. The design of the blitz had Kirksey attack the B gap and take on a guard with Kindred finding a hole behind him to attack Wentz. Kirksey took on the beat the guard’s block as Kindred was unable to secure the sack but forced him back into the pocket so Kirksey could make the play. A great play all around by Kirksey.

The question for Kirksey going forward is if he can keep playing tough against the run. And if he can do that while adding in these elements, he can be a playmaker. Kirksey notched that sack, a tackle for loss and two more hits on Wentz in the game.

Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) is sacked by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Xavier Cooper (96) during the third quarter of a preseason game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

5. Xavier Cooper is a 3-Tech

After seeing Cooper out at the 5-tech defensive end last year because they simply had nothing else to put there in relief of Desmond Bryant, the Browns seem to have Cooper at home, playing inside. Especially with the increased amount of even front looks, Cooper as their 3-tech gives them a lot of quickness and athleticism that can cause problems for opponents.

Cooper’s lack of length, both between his height and arm length, make it more likely that opponents will be able to reach him so that running plays or roll out passes to his side are more effective. Inside, this is no longer an issue and while not having long arms isn’t ideal, it puts his tremendous first step quickness back in the forefront.

The Browns best defensive front seemed to be having Nassib and Ogbah at the ends with Shelton and Cooper on the interior. The Browns tried to use both Jamie Meder and Stephen Paea to play a big defensive line to stop the run with questionable results. Cooper can really help the interior pass rush, especially if Shelton can keep playing the way he did, but Cooper’s ability to shoot gaps can also enable him to cause problems as a run stopper.

There’s a little more of a risk-reward with Cooper shooting a gap to try to stop the run, since if he’s wrong, the linebacker behind him is suddenly alone dealing with a guard. Meder and Paea are hoping to force opponents to double team them, although against the Eagles, they did too much catching. Perhaps deliberately to try to be conservative and contain the run, it didn’t prove terribly effective.

And Ray Horton is certainly not afraid to take risks and be aggressive. It will be interesting to see how the defensive line usage evolves depending on matchups and how they feel about the respective performances. The bottom line with Cooper is that he looks far more comfortable, far more effective inside.

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