Cleveland Browns: Trevon Coley injury exposes defensive tackle depth
By Randy Gurzi
With Trevon Coley suffering a high-ankle sprain, the Cleveland Browns will have their depth at defensive tackle challenged early on
One move that took most of us by surprise this offseason was when the Cleveland Browns traded away nose tackle Danny Shelton. While he may not have been an ideal fit in the defense run by Gregg Williams, he still played at a high level when on the field.
One of the reasons they felt they could move on from Shelton was the emergence of 2017 third-round pick Larry Ogunjobi. He was a promising player as a rookie, and next to him looked to be Trevon Coley, who started 15 games last season.
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On Friday, Coley suffered a high-ankle sprain which could sideline him for most of the preseason. The ankle injury is often a lingering one, and it could also expose one of the bigger weaknesses on the roster — the depth at defensive tackle.
They’ve already seen Caleb Brantley dealing with injuries early on and they also released Trenton Thompson — who was expected to be one of the few undrafted free agents with a realistic shot at making the 53-man roster.
As of now, they seem rather thin at the interior spot. The only name of any credibility outside of Ogunjobi who isn’t dealing with injury issues is Jamie Meder. While he wouldn’t be a bad starter, it does call into question the depth they have inside.
Thankfully, the Browns are not without options. They do have the ability to move linebackers like Genard Avery and Jamie Collins closer to the line and a couple of their defensive ends — like Chad Thomas and Emmanuel Ogbah — have the skill to play inside on passing downs.
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Cleveland could also reach back out to Thompson, who hasn’t been reported to have signed on anywhere else. Whatever they do, the depth is quickly becoming suspect here and should be addressed.