The Cleveland Browns have been the splashiest team this offseason, with their biggest acquisition being All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Cleveland looks like a legitimate playoff team on paper, but there is still room for improvement.
Here are the three biggest needs that the Browns still need to address, either through the NFL Draft or a later wave of free agency.
3. Defensive line depth
After trading for Olivier Vernon and signing Sheldon Richardson, Cleveland now has one of the best defensive lines in football. Vernon, Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi, and Myles Garrett should be able to put constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks and disrupt the run game. The problem is that those four players cannot play every single snap, and the depth behind them is not good.
Garrett played 86% of snaps and Ogunjobi 79%. Both players' effectiveness dropped toward the end of games and late in the season due to exhaustion.
2018 starting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah would have been a very nice rotational player to spell Garrett and Vernon, but he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for defensive back Eric Murray. Chris Smith, Chad Thomas, and Anthony Zettel played a total of 516 snaps, combining for one sack and two QB hits. Smith is a solid player, Zettel had 6.5 sacks in 2017 for Detroit, and if Thomas can reach his potential, he will be starting over Vernon. But none of those three players can be relied upon to bring serious pass rush off the bench.
The interior defensive line is even more sparse. Trevon Coley is a poor pass rusher, Brian Price has made no impact, and Carl Davis played a total of 31 snaps last season. If one of Ogunjobi or Richardson takes a breather, or has to miss a game, things will get bad inside. Both EDGE and DT are more likely to be addressed through the draft, and the Browns could even take a DT with their first pick at 49, especially if someone like Jeffrey Simmons falls that far. Having great starters is good, but playoff teams also have to have solid depth, and right now, Cleveland doesn't have that on their defensive line.
2. SAM Linebacker
At one point, Jamie Collins was one of the best linebackers in the NFL. His combination of size, athleticism, coverage ability, and pass-rushing prowess was unmatched. However, injuries and a lack of effort have taken him from the ranks of the elite, and after more or less two disappointing seasons in Cleveland, he was cut, as his play didn't warrant his $10 million cap hit.
While Collins wasn't exactly a great player, he was still vital to the Browns defense, playing the second-most snaps on the team at 1,067, or 91%. Joe Schobert is one of the best coverage LBs in the league, and he is a fine MIKE. Christian Kirksey missed nine games last season and hasn't been himself since 2016, but he will start at WILL and look to regain his form. That leaves a gaping hole at SAM, one that Cleveland may just not fill.
The Browns drafted Memphis LB Genard Avery in the fifth round last year, and he ended up being an excellent situational pass rusher, finishing with 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and 14 QB hits while playing just 58% of snaps. Once Kirksey went down, Avery began to play more base linebacker along with Tanner Vallejo, who is now an Arizona Cardinal. Avery did improve quite a bit as a pure linebacker, showing solid coverage ability and the mental processing to diagnose plays. Still, he is at his best rushing the passer off the edge.
New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks likes to play with three safeties, which necessitates taking a linebacker off the field. As SAM is Cleveland's weakest linebacker spot, it would be the most logical to remove. This will soften the blow of not having a true starter there, but the Browns won't be in nickel all the time.
It would be best to find someone who can play SAM or MIKE, to provide depth and allow Avery to play the role he is most effective in. There are plenty of solid prospects who will be available on Day 3 for Cleveland to choose from.
1. Secondary depth
When Jabrill Peppers was sent to the Giants as part of the OBJ trade, many assumed the Browns would get another strong safety and start Derrick Kindred, a fourth-round pick in 2016. However, Kindred was cut, leaving the team with former Packer Jermaine Whitehead as the only true strong safety on the roster.
Eric Murray has played there so he will at least provide some depth if he doesn't win the starting job. Cleveland also signed former Packer and Steeler Morgan Burnett, who fills the need at box safety perfectly. Damarious Randall proved himself to be one of the best free safeties in the NFL last season, so the starters don't look too bad. But with Wilks' tendency to use his safeties quite a bit, adding one more playable member to that group would be smart.
If the Browns could sign Jonathan Cyprien, Tre Boston, or Eric Berry for cheap, that would be a home run, but the more likely course of action is to draft a safety, perhaps as high as 49th overall.
Cornerback is a similar situation. Denzel Ward is a very good starter and Terrance Mitchell and T.J. Carrie are solid. Beyond those three, there isn't much there. Great value in the free agency market probably doesn't exist at this point, so once again, John Dorsey and company will be turning to the draft. Getting a big, physical corner to play opposite of Ward should be a priority, and Michigan State's Justin Layne seems like a perfect fit.
Playing with a much improved defensive line will make the secondary's job easier, but with the aerial attacks that the Browns will need to beat if they want to play into January, improving the secondary must be a top priority.
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