When Indians attendance was truly an issue: Reliving Yesteryear
July 20, 2015Humid thoughts on the Cavs: While We’re Waiting
July 21, 2015Over the last couple weeks, I examined the Browns defense position by position. This side of the ball seems to be in very good shape. In this preview, I finish up on the defense by looking at the Browns d-line. Last year, this group was the Achilles heel of the defense. Over this offseason, the Browns front office made a big overhaul of this line. So, let’s take a look at the newly formed defensive line of the Cleveland Browns.
[2015 Browns Position Previews: Safeties, Cornerbacks, Inside Linebackers, Outside Linebackers, Defensive Line]
Defensive Line
Additions
Randy Starks (Free Agency – Miami Dolphins)
Danny Shelton (Draft – First Round from Washington)
Xavier Cooper (Draft – Third Round from Washington State)
Tory Slater (UDFA – West Georgia)
Dylan Wynn (UDFA – Oregon State)
Subtractions
Ahtyba Rubin (Free Agency – Seattle Seahawks)
Sione Fua (Free Agency – Unsigned)
Calvin Barnett (Waived – Unsigned)
The Starters: DE Desmond Bryant, NT Danny Shelton, and DE Randy Starks
The Browns defensive line will see a deep rotation of linemen, but I see three players taking the most snaps. Desmond Bryant, Danny Shelton and Randy Starks, in my opinion, will make up the starting defensive line. Pro Football Focus gave Desmond Bryant a minus-6.5 grade for his performance last year, while Randy Starks earned a minus-1.1 grade last season with the Miami Dolphins.
Desmond Bryant had an up and down season last year, playing through injury and inconsistency. In 15 games last year, he had 49 tackles, one pass defended, and five sacks. Bryant is a huge defensive lineman (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) with great length to be a disruptive force for the Browns. He has shown at times to be this force, but we have not seen it consistently. His athleticism, size, and strength make a great combination for a 3-4 defensive end, which is where he lined up most of the time. He is perhaps the most gifted defensive lineman on the Browns, but he has not shown this on a game by game basis. If Bryant can stay healthy and play more consistently, he could be the playmaking lineman the Browns defense sorely needs.
Danny Shelton was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Last year, the Washington alum netted 92 tackles and nine sacks in his senior season. Shelton should come in right away and be the starting nose tackle for the Browns. He is a run stuffing lineman who forces offenses to double team him to keep him at bay. This opens up opportunities for the rest of the defense to get free. Shelton is a huge man with great strength to control opposing linemen and break away to get to the ball. His addition to the lineup will be a huge boost to the run defense.
Randy Starks was one the Browns top free agent pickups this offseason. Last year with the Miami Dolphins, he played in 15 games, totaling 28 tackles, one pass defended, and 4.5 sacks. Starks is most known for his ability to rush the passer. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 20 total pressures last year, ranking 28th most amongst defensive tackles in the NFL. He has had his share of success versus the run, but has been a little inconsistent in that area over his career. But overall, he will be an upgrade to the starting lineup of the Browns defensive line.
The Browns starting defensive line looks to be much improved over last season. The team added a young run stuffer and a veteran pass rusher to a line that struggled mightily last year. Both Shelton and Starks are players who can make a difference on the field and open up opportunities for their teammates. If Desmond Bryant can stay healthy and play consistent, this starting lineup should be in good shape.
Contributing Defensive Linemen: DE John Hughes, DE Billy Winn, NT Phil Taylor, DE Xavier Cooper, and NT Ishmaa’ily Kitchen
The Browns have quite a bit of depth on the defensive line after focusing much of the offseason on upgrading the position. The Browns will most likely play more than a few linemen in the rotation. As it stands now, the team could see as many as five players — John Hughes, Billy Winn, Phil Taylor, Xavier Cooper, and Ishmaa’ily Kitchen — come in off the bench and play significant snaps on the defensive line. Last season, Pro Football Focus gave John Hughes a plus-5.2 grade, Billy Winn a minus-7.7, Phil Taylor a minus-6.5, and Ishmaa’ily Kitchen a minus-2.7.
John Hughes was the only defensive lineman on the Browns to receive a positive grade from Pro Football Focus last season. In 2014, he played in only five games, netting 17 tackles. Hughes is a good run stopper with the ability to fill up the interior running lanes of the opposing offense. He is also a solid contributor in pass rushing situations, too. Hughes has not had a huge amount of snaps in his career, playing mostly as a rotational lineman. He could see an increase in snaps if he can stay healthy this season.
Billy Winn is another defensive lineman who will have a sizable workload next season. In 13 games last year, he had 17 tackles, one forced fumble, two passes defended, and one interception. Winn is an athletic player who does well getting penetration into the backfield. He does not have great strength, so he does not hold his ground as well as others and can struggle to get off blocks. His contribution will be a backup rotational player.
Phil Taylor is one of the more frustrating players on the defensive line. In just five games, he had 10 tackles and one pass defended. Taylor has the athleticism and size combination that most players cannot match, but he has been hurt and inconsistent in his career with the Browns. He is pretty quick off the line, penetrating into the backfield very often. But, a lot of the times he is penetrating, he gets out of position allowing the play to go to the space he just vacated. If he can play more under control and stay healthy, he could be a huge player in the rotation.
Xavier Cooper was the Browns third round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. In his junior season last year, he had 37 tackles and five sacks. He is a quick player for his size, who can wreak havoc in the backfield with his penetrating ability. Cooper will be an interesting player to watch in the preseason. If he can penetrate consistently, he could see early playing time in the rotation. He will most likely see the most time in passing situations on third downs.
Ishmaa’ily Kitchen is a player with just one dimension: stopping the run. Last season in 12 games, he had 43 tackles, starting at nose tackle in three of those games. Kitchen is a big body who can take on blockers and fill the interior running lanes. He will not jump out at you or make tackles in the backfield. He just takes on blockers and tries to make the ball carrier run in a different direction, filling the running lanes near him. His snaps will most likely decrease with the addition of Danny Shelton.
The Browns defensive line will see a lot of bodies in and out of the lineup. The team has five legit players who could come in off the bench and play snaps on the Browns defensive line. It will be interesting to see how the rotation works out and who emerges as the main contributors of these five players.
Strictly Special Team Contributors: None
There are no strictly special teams contributors in the Browns defensive line group. Some of the players who will play on the defense will also be contributors on the special teams.
Other Defensive Linemen on Roster: NT Jacobbi McDaniel, DE Jamie Meder, DE Tory Slater, DE Christian Tupou, and DE Dylan Wynn
Jacobbi McDaniel, Jamie Meder, Tory Slater, Christian Tupou and Dylan Wynn will fight for a possible last spot on the defensive line for the Browns. In my opinion, Jacobbi McDaniel and Jamie Meder are the two players with the best chance to make the squad. McDaniel played in one game for the Browns last year, netting one pass defended. Meder also played one game last season for the Browns, getting one tackle. Some of these players could battle for a spot on the Browns practice squad, too.
Biggest Strength: Depth
The Browns really upgraded their defensive line depth, adding three players who could see significant snaps this season. The Browns fell into a tough spot last year with multiple injuries that resulted in a thin d-line group. This season, the front office made sure to upgrade the depth so that they will not fall into the same problem as last year. The Browns could have a rotation of eight players on the defensive line, all of whom could see a good amount of snaps. The depth of the line should help the players stay fresh, which will in turn keep them healthy throughout the season. The Browns will try to succeed with numbers on the defensive line this season.
Biggest Weakness: Playmaking Ability and Run Defense
The Browns only had one defensive lineman (John Hughes) grade out positively last season by Pro Football Focus. The team lacked any kind of real playmaker on the line last year. The team was unable to cause havoc in the backfield, allowing offenses to control the line of scrimmage. The Browns need a player or two to step up and be players who force opposing offenses to gameplan against them each game. This will help elevate the rest of the group because it eases the workload of the rest of the line.
The Browns also struggled greatly against the run. One of the main reasons for that is the underwhelming performance of the defensive line. The team lacked a true run stuffer in the middle of the line who can take up multiple blockers. The group also lacked penetrating ability, which allowed offenses to run the ball without much difficulty in the backfield. The team is hoping Danny Shelton can come in and help turn this group’s fortune around versus the run.
Biggest Position Battle: John Hughes vs. Billy Winn vs. Phil Taylor
The biggest battle of training camp will be between John Hughes, Billy Winn, and Phil Taylor. They will compete for the most snaps after the three starters. In my opinion, Hughes and Taylor are the likeliest players to receive the most snaps after the three starting defensive linemen. Hughes will sub in for both defensive end spots, while Taylor will likely see most of his time subbing in as nose tackle and defensive end in certain situations. Winn has a chance to get the most snaps, but the talent of the other two will most likely win out over him. A sleeper pick to win this battle could be Xavier Cooper if he can really impress the coaches early in the preseason.
Grade: C
The Browns defensive line was one of the weakest positions on the entire team last season. The group struggled to play well and stay healthy. So the Browns front office took a huge chunk of their attention this offseason to address the defensive line. The addition of three players to the line (Starks, Shelton, and Cooper) should improve this group quite a bit. The team added depth and young talent to the defensive line, that was sorely needed. The key to the success of the line could be centered on these three additions and how they affect the play of the rest of the group. Danny Shelton especially could be a huge key to improving the defensive line. But for now, I cannot grade the group positively until we can see how the additions play this season and affect their teammates. Though, this group can only go up after a horrible 2014 season.
All stats (unless noted otherwise) are from ESPN.com
6 Comments
Depth should help our health issues. And if it does, we should be able to run a brigade of big bodies at our opposition this year.
I suspect our run defense will be visibly improved this year.
To me, other than quarterback, I think Danny Shelton will have the biggest impact on the direction of the Browns. I think he’s more than just a run-stuffer and eater of bodies, even though that’s an extremely important role and something that the Browns didn’t have last year. I think Shelton can also be a playmaker in the mold of a young Haloti Ngata. He’s not just huge, but he’s extremely athletic for a man so huge. When you have a nose tackle who can take on double teams and still make plays, which I think Shelton will be able to do, then the rest of your defense looks better. There are holes for the linebackers to blitz through. There are one-on-one opportunities for your end rushers. You force the running backs in protection to block a defensive tackle (not an easy task, btw). And all of those things will mean that the defensive backs and linebackers need to spend less time in coverage.
I nominate Pat for VP of “Danny’s Boys”
I love him so much, sometimes it hurts.
And a kilt works for both! Double culture entendre! Nice!
http://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/6b4bbe90-efab-11e4-a0f3-30858221b56a-780×1459.jpg
Look at the Goodell picture from RGB above; when he loves you back, it can hurt just as much!