The Cleveland Browns still need to figure out who their defensive coordinator will be, while new HC Todd Monken starts to fill in the rest of his staff, unofficially. The Browns have started talking to or interviewing a large swath of candidates who are more than excited about the chance to work with DE Myles Garrett and company.
Garrett isn’t the lone talent on Cleveland’s defensive front anymore. LB Carson Schwesinger won Rookie of the Year, DT Mason Graham had a very good first season, DTs Maliek Collins and Mike Hall Jr. helped push the pocket from the inside while DEs Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, and Cameron Thomas provided pressure from the other defensive end spot.
The strong defensive line mimics the two previous Super Bowl champions: the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles. Defense can still win championship (games). Seattle and Philadelphia controlled games through their defensive lines while having much more support from their respective offenses.
Interestingly, the Browns are setup well for the big games because of Garrett and company. The problem is that they do not have the offense to help get them there. GM Andrew Berry has made it clear that an offensive upgrade, starting with the hiring of Monken, is the team’s priority this offseason. If Cleveland can get good play on offense, the defense is ready to win at a high level.
As discussed previously, the Browns were the eighth best defense in the NFL last year but that number was impacted by poor play from Cleveland’s offense and special teams. As discussed by fans in the comment section of that article, the Houston Texans could be a model for the Browns being successful next year. The Texans had the second best defense and the 19th best offense, leading to a 12 win season.
Houston, like the two previous Super Bowl champions, was also led by a dynamic defensive line.
Cleveland’s roster needs a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball but they at least have setup the kind of defensive presence needed to win the biggest games, if they can get there. That is a big if but enjoyable for Browns fans to think about.