Cleveland Browns: 3 Strongest positions heading into 2018
By Randy Gurzi
2. Linebacker
This may have been the No. 1 positional group had the Browns not lost Mychal Kendricks. Unfortunately, he was part of a federal investigation into insider trading and the team parted ways. The overall talent of the group falls, but it’s still incredibly strong even without him.
Middle linebacker Joe Schobert made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and led the NFL in tackles, tied at 144 with Preston Brown of Buffalo and Blake Martinez of Green Bay according to ESPN. Next up on the list was Christian Kirksey, who tied with Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons with 138. Kirksey is, of course, one of two outside linebackers for the Browns.
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The other outside linebacker is Jamie Collins, who is their highest paid player on the defensive side. He came over in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2016 season and then missed most of 2017. With him being out of the picture most of the year, it’s probably easy to forget how talented he is.
While Schobert and Kirksey are as solid as they come, Collins can take over a game with his talent. Stepping up in Kendrick’s absence should be a combination of James Burgess and Genard Avery.
Burgess registered 75 tackles last season and Avery, despite being a fifth-round pick, has shown big playmaking ability as a rookie so far in the preseason. His upside has a lot to do with how impressive this unit looks, but there’s really not much to dislike about them as a whole.