Browns: 5 defensive takeaways from Week 1 loss
One of the biggest questions on the Browns defense entering the regular season was the free safety position. Derrick Kindred got the start and he certainly earned another one after his performance on Sunday. Not only was he breaking up passes on critical plays, the second-year man earned his first career interception. The pick came at the beginning of the fourth quarter and, while it did not lead to a touchdown, the play helped keep the Browns in the game.
After making the switch from strong safety to free safety this offseason, Kindred seemingly adapted well and was all over the field. After totaling only five pass deflections in 2016, Kindred posted two on Sunday.
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If Kindred can continue to play at the level he did against the Steelers, the Browns may have sewed up an open wound on their depth chart.
Similar to Kindred at the free safety position, the middle linebacker position was unclear entering training camp. Joe Schobert had some flashes in 2016, but was not consistent enough to rely upon. Tank Carder was expected to earn the starting spot, but Schobert looked great in the preseason and closed the gap quickly. Carder’s season-ending injury cleared any uncertainty as Schobert started on Sunday and the sophomore looked good.
He contributed four tackles and assisted on five others while constantly flying around the field. His speed is evident and tackling was no problem. However, his coverage skills against tight end Jesse James were poor to say the least. James successfully beat Schobert numerous times and two of those resulted in touchdowns.
These issues are expected with a young player, but Schobert must stay confident and learn from these mistakes. He isn’t blessed with the pure athleticism other standout linebackers have, but his motor and ability to get after the ball is paying off for the Browns so far.
Cleveland should be happy with Schobert’s efforts in his 2017 debut and hopefully it will translate next week in Baltimore.