Cleveland Browns defensive depth chart: PFF fair or not?

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Dec 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Ryan Hewitt (89) tackled by Cleveland Browns strong safety Donte Whitner (31) and outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo (51) at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals won by a score of 30-0. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Following their first non-double-digit-loss season in seven years, the Cleveland Browns will be looking to its defense to improve in one critical area if they want to build on the 7-9 finish of 2014.

We’re talking, of course, about the run defense.

Last season, the Browns were last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, 27th in yards per carry, and 28th in runs of 20-plus yards by opposing ball carriers. The Browns were the favorite opponent of running backs across the league, as teams ran the ball 500 times on the Browns with 87 of those rushes gaining eight yards or more.

The defense only held opposing offenses to fewer than 100 rushing yards four times all season, gave up more than 150 rushing yards six times, and more than 200 yards three times.

As Tommy Lee Jones’ character said in No Country for Old Men, “if this ain’t a mess it will do until one gets here.”

Since the end of the season general manager Ray Farmer has worked to reshape the defense into one that will try to take advantage to one of the most-talented secondaries in the NFL. Out are defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, linebacker Jabaal Sheard and cornerback Buster Skrine, among others.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Browns lost the equivalent of 2.62 players on defense, based on the number of offensive snaps the departed players were on the field for in 2014. The bulk of those lost snaps came from just a handful of players, however, with Skrine leading the way with 1,152 defensive snaps. He was followed by Sheard (690), Jim Leonhard (517) and Rubin (457).

Of that group, Sheard is (maybe) the only player that the Browns will potentially miss. It certainly won’t be Skrine, who was flagged for 17 penalties in 2014, was the second most targeted cornerback in the league, and got beat for eight touchdowns. As for Rubin, he’s been under-performing for a while now, so happy trails in Seattle to him.

So while the Browns had some turnover on defense, they didn’t lose anyone crucial, which means improvement is just around the corner, yes?

Well, let’s not be hasty here.

Pro Football Focus also examined the defensive depth chart for the Browns, ranking each player in one of seven categories: Elite, High Quality, Good, Average, Below Average, Poor, Not Enough Info, Rookie and Rookie Undrafted Free Agent.

According to their rankings, the Browns’ defense is solid, but still has some work to do. Seven presumed starters earn a ranking of good or better, while three of the remaining four are just average or worse.

Let’s take a look at each position group, see how PFF ranked the players, and determine if the ranking is fair or not.

Next: Defensive Line

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