Browns new-look defense quickly establishes an identity
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Second thoughts on Browns 24-3 win over Cincinnati Bengals …
1. Cornerback Greg Newsome said in June that new coordinator Jim Schwartz wants the Browns’ defense to lead the league in “bad-assery.” Last week, Schwartz said the true personality of the defense would reveal itself over time. Well, after holding Joe Burrow to his worst NFL game and limiting the high-scoring Cincinnati Bengals to six first downs and 2 of 15 third-down conversions, we now have a read on where the unit is heading. Cornerback M.J. Emerson eloquently broke down the identity of the defense with three words. “Passion, effort and swag,” Emerson said. “That’s the identity. And have fun. Play fast, play physical, play together.” The swagger of celebrating good plays is encouraged by Schwartz. “He actually has a system where if you don’t celebrate after you make a play or celebrate with your teammate, it’s a loaf,” Emerson said. “You know, he wants to celebrate our great plays and just bring that swag and passion to have fun.”
2. Classic defensive front fours in NFL history have inspired some of the sport’s most enduring nicknames. The Purple People Eaters. The Steel Curtain. The Fearsome Foursome. You get the idea. Such a catchy moniker may not be applicable to Schwartz’s creation because he uses eight linemen throughout a game. Here’s the breakdown of defensive snaps played against the Bengals, who had only 54 offensive plays: Myles Garrett, 43 (77 percent); Za’Darius Smith, 37 (66 percent); Dalvin Tomlinson, 35 (62 percent); Ogbo Okoronkwo, 34 (61 percent); Jordan Elliott, 26 (46 percent); Shelby Harris, 23 (41 percent); Maurice Hurst, 17 (30 percent); Alex Wright, 15 (27 percent). In addition to hitting an offensive line with waves of fresh pass rushers, Schwartz seeks to confuse it with mixing players in different positions across the front. Smith and Garrett each swapped sides on occasion and moved inside in special fronts, also. Okoronkwo lined up at both left and right end. At least one time, Schwartz fielded five linemen. “It was fun to see just the offensive linemen confused and not knowing who was going where. It worked out exactly how Coach Schwartz said,” Okoronkwo said. Added Smith, “I think it affects the offensive line being able to set protections because they can’t figure us out. I can play inside, Ogbo can play inside, MG can play outside and end. Being able to do things like that really helps our defense.”
Fourth-round rookie tackle Dawand Jones is being forced into a starting role as a result of Jack Conklin's season-ending injury. (Cleveland Browns)
3. The first Browns’ rookie to make an NFL start will be offensive tackle Dawand Jones, the fourth-round pick from Ohio State. The big guy was tabbed by the coaches to replace right tackle Jack Conklin, who will have season-ending surgery to repair his left ACL and MCL, coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed. Jones relieved Conklin and played 52 snaps on Sunday, most them at an acceptable level. Jones, 6-8 and 375 pounds, will get a baptism-by-fire on Monday night when he lines up primarily against T.J. Watt, the 2021 NFL defensive player of the year and author of 77.5 sacks in 88 career games. Watt is roughly 120 pounds lighter than Jones, so he should really test Jones’ agility. Watt had his way with James Hudson, the other Browns’ backup tackle, in the 2021 season finale in Hudson’s rookie season. Hudson started off his third season as the first tackle off the bench at left or right, but Jones’ rapid advancement in training camp led to a promotion as the RT2 and Hudson concentrated on LT2. “There are no redshirts in the NFL,” Stefanski explained of rushing in Jones. The domino effect of Conklin’s injury will require the Browns to add another tackle to the 53 roster. They traded promising tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to New England at the 53 cut for running back Pierre Strong. One option is to promote Alex Leatherwood from the practice squad. Leatherwood was the Raiders’ first-round pick from Alabama in 2021. They waived him in 2022. This year, the Bears released Leatherwood at the 53 cut and he signed with the Browns’ practice squad.
4. A large part of the Browns’ offense will be dictated by Deshaun Watson’s legs. The quarterback was credited with five runs for 45 yards. Two of them gained first downs and a third was a 13-yard touchdown run when he checked the play at the line of scrimmage to a quarterback draw. It completed Watson’s best drive of the day at the end of the second quarter. In his career, Watson runs 5-6 times a game. Like any mobile quarterback, the very threat of Watson running gives the Browns’ offense an added edge. Stefanski believes it’s an important element to Watson’s game. “I think if you look at yesterday, Deshaun made a play on the first third down, scrambled and made a first down,” Stefanski said. “He had made plays on design runs. He made plays just by carrying out his fakes. You’re going to watch on some of those runs where [with] him carrying out his fakes, a lot of the defense is aware of his ability with the ball in his hand. So that’s a huge part of what we do. Whether it’s by design, whether it’s off schedule, whether it’s a third-down scramble, whether it’s a first-and-10 quarterback design run -- all of that is part of who we are. I think the game and the different game plans and those types of things will determine how often that occurs.”
5. It was encouraging to see Stefanski elect to punt the ball in the second quarter rather than go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Browns’ 39. He lined up three tight ends in a short-yardage look to try to draw the Bengals offsides. When they didn't bite, Stefanski punted after taking a delay penalty. In his three years, Stefanski has tried more fourth-down conversions than any coach, and thus has more turnovers on downs when those plays failed. The analytics set applauds going for it on fourth down, but old-school football values the punt as a means of controlling field position. Corey Bojorquez’s 56-yard punt and a Cincinnati penalty pinned the Bengals at their 5-yard line. Great call to punt, coach. So, was it a decision related to the play of your defense or was it the inclement weather? Or have you reassessed your fourth-down strategy? “That was for the old timers,” Stefanski joked. “I was thinking about you in the moment. Yeah, I think every game calls for a different game plan. You take everything into account. I liked how our defense was playing, but it’s really totally game-by-game, those types of decisions.”
