#HeyTony: Can the Browns' defense be fixed this year?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Hey Tony: Will getting Mack Wilson, Kevin Johnson, and Greedy Williams back on defense be enough to fix the defense or will we have to grind games out all season?

-- Joe, Long Island, NY

Hey Joe: Williams and Johnson possibly could return to practice this week. Considering how long they’ve been out, I wouldn’t expect them to be in game form until two weeks of practice. Wilson is getting closer, but might not be ready yet. You didn’t mention safety Grant Delpit, who is out for the year. In my opinion, his loss hurts more than the others because it caused coordinator Joe Woods to adjust plans to use a 4-2-5 alignment with three safeties as his base defense. The defense is a work in progress, and won’t be a finished product this season.

Hey Tony: Any chance the Browns pick up additional linebacker help? LB’s didn’t look great on Thursday.

-- Gavin, San Francisco, CA

Hey Gavin: The best linebacker available is Wilson. He could be back in two weeks. The injury to rookie Jacob Phillips hurts because it stresses the depth once more but it also delays Phillips’ development. I’m sure GM Andrew Berry scans the waiver wire every day for LBs and is looking for an available LB in trade. I wouldn’t expect a splash trade, though.

Hey Tony: Let’s pretend that our defense is full strength. Do you think we are a top 10 defense, or do we still need to add some key pieces ASAP?

-- Kyle, Canton, OH

Hey Kyle: Top 10? Not close. But it doesn’t have to be top 10 if the talent-stacked offense continues to develop. Don’t forget, it’s the first year of the Joe Woods defense. It will take time and more reinforcements at pass rusher and linebacker, and a full offseason program and training camp for Delpit and future strong safety Ronnie Harrison to play together.

Hey Tony: Why is Myles Garrett playing so much on the left side this season instead of the right side and rushing the blindside of the QB?

-- Mike, Batavia, NY

Hey Mike: I like the idea of Garrett moving around and rushing from different angles. His strip-sack of Joe Burrow on Thursday night came when he lined up at left tackle – a position I’ve never seen him rush from before. Remember, his first-ever sack as a rookie came when he lined up at right tackle. I wouldn’t change a thing with the way Woods is using him.

Hey Tony: I am not suggesting that the Browns give up on Baker Mayfield, and I was happy with Thursday night. But I have wondered since before that draft and from some things I read: Did the “deciders” lock on to Baker too early, short-circuiting a thorough eval of all the QBs?

-- Tom, Chicago, IL

Hey Tom: There is no question that then-GM John Dorsey and his top consultant at the time, Scot McGloughan, locked on Mayfield from the start of the draft process. I do believe, however, that all the quarterbacks were thoroughly evaluated by Dorsey and his staff. Alonzo Highsmith originally had Sam Darnold No. 1. Andrew Berry, I’ve been told, originally had Josh Rosen No. 1. Nobody had Lamar Jackson No. 1. Eventually, Dorsey forged a consensus among all his scouts on Mayfield being the pick.

Hey Tony: I am curious, is anyone asking Coach Stefanski if his “go for it on 4th down” decisions are based on analytics or gut feeling?

-- Mel, Fort Myers, FL

Hey Mel: Nobody has asked Stefanski directly that question. It is my opinion, based on Stefanski’s answer to the question of why he went for it, that he is basing that call on analytics. Their math says you are better off going for seven than settling for three in those situations. One of the reasons Stefanski appealed to chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta was Stefanski’s willingness to base in-game decisions on analytics data.

Hey Tony: Can you evaluate the linebackers individually and as a group?

-- Russ, Alexandria, OH

Hey Russ: The intent was to reconfigure the position group with young, fast, athletic linebackers. Wilson was injured in training camp and Phillips was injured in the Baltimore game. So now you have one of the young up-and-comers, Sione Takitaki, playing with two veterans who were not necessarily signed to start – B.J. Goodson and Malcolm Smith. The position group is not going to be a defensive strength, let’s put it that way.

Hey Tony: What is Alex Van Pelt's role? Will he be another Todd Monken?

-- Michelle, Orlando, FL

Hey Michelle: Van Pelt is one of the league’s better quarterback coaches. He was given the title of offensive coordinator to preside over the offensive meetings and contribute to the game plan. Stefanski planned to give Van Pelt an audition to also be the play-caller, but those plans were scrapped because of the elimination of preseason games. I believe as Van Pelt learns Stefanski’s offense more he eventually will be the play-caller. It may happen this year. It may wait until next year.

Hey Tony: Does Mayfield try to spread the ball around too much? The one INT looked forced trying to get Harrison Bryant his 1st TD, after he’d just gotten him a few targets. It’s nitpicking, but noticeable.

-- Mike, Columbus, OH

Hey Mike: Spreading the ball around is a good thing, not a bad thing. Mayfield was at his best in 2018 doing just that. I don’t think he was throwing to Bryant to “get him his first TD.” Bryant was open; Mayfield just didn’t see the back-side safety steaming to the target area.

Hey Tony: Browns have $40M in cap room, what are they saving for?

-- John, Santa Ana, CA

Hey John: The Browns have a few contracts on the books that make significant jumps next season (Austin Hooper, Jack Conklin, Case Keenum, David Njoku) and also have future contracts for Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward to ponder. So it would be prudent to roll over as much room as possible in to 2021. The big cushion of cap room also enabled the Browns to sign Kareem Hunt to a team-friendly extension, as his highest cap number over the next three seasons was rolled into this year.

Hey Tony: Are you allowed to ask Baker questions in press conferences this year? Haven’t heard you ask him any.

-- Dan, Bay Village, OH

Hey Dan: Am I allowed? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? Have I asked a question? No. When will I? Stay tuned.

Hey Tony: Doesn’t look like the Steelers or the Ravens are going to have an off year. What kind of mindset should I have now for the 2020 season?

-- Chad, Erie, PA

Hey Chad: First of all, if you thought the Steelers or Ravens were going to have an off year you were living in LaLa Land. On paper, they are two of the top five teams in the AFC. It’s still possible for the Browns to earn one of the three available wild card spots. But just beating the Bengals isn’t going to be enough.

Hey Tony: We hear every day about bad TV ratings across NFL landscape. What are the real facts about TV viewership, and how will our Browns be affected, if any?

-- Matt, Bucyrus, OH

Hey Matt: Fans are consuming NFL games on multiple platforms – television, streaming on line, etc. Consumption of the NFL product is at an all-time high. The NFL still is the envy of all professional sports. The ratings have no effect on the Browns.

Hey Tony: Would you trade OBJ for a quality kicker, plus a first and third round pick?

-- Josh, Willowick, OH

Hey Josh: I can’t think of a quality kicker that’s ever been traded. Would I trade him for a first- and third-round pick? Yes, I would.

Hey Tony: I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but Thursday evening I heard rumors of a ceasefire in the 100 Years War. Any truth to this?

-- Kris, Tampa, FL

Hey Kris: Beating Cincinnati is not going to result in a ceasefire in the #100YearsWar. It will take a win over Pittsburgh in Heinz Field.