Cleveland Browns: Predicting statistical leaders in 2018
By Randy Gurzi
Defensive Statistical Leaders
Total Tackles: Christian Kirksey
According to ESPN, Joe Schobert was tied for the most tackles in the NFL with 144. Right behind him was Christian Kirksey, who technically tied for fourth with 138. Schobert was great, but may not even be a full-time starter since the position is suddenly so deep. Mychal Kendricks will man the middle, but Kirksey will find his way to the ball carrier more often.
He’s got a nose for the ball and will keep up the excellent play he’s shown throughout the rest of his career. Kirksey leads the team and should be well above 100 total tackles yet again.
Total Sacks: Myles Garrett
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Myles Garrett wasn’t on the field all 16 games as a rookie. Even so, he led the team with seven sacks as a rookie according to NFL.com. Should he play all 16 games, Garrett will likely get at least 10 sacks in his second season. Even if he misses time though, he will be the leader for them as he takes a step forward in 2018.
Interceptions: Damarious Randall
One thing that gets overlooked with Damarious Randall is that he was a ballhawk while playing cornerback for the Green Bay Packers. Cleveland intends to move him back to safety, a spot he excelled at in college. That will lead to him playing more freely than he did with the Packers as he leads the Browns in interceptions.
Special Teams Stats
Most Combined Return Yards: Jabrill Peppers
While Jabrill Peppers may not even beat out Derrick Kindred for the starting strong safety spot, he should get plenty of snaps as a return man. He worked in both spots as a rookie and could be the primary kickoff and punt returner for the Browns — which makes him a favorite to get the most combined return yards.
Next: 53-man roster prediction
Return Touchdowns: Jabrill Peppers
Should he handle both duties, he will likely be the leader here as well. As a rookie, Peppers never got into the end zone as a return man, but here we predict him to get at least one and that’s enough for this nod.