Cleveland Browns: Genard Avery could be Jamie Collins’ replacement

The Cleveland Browns could be in the market for a starting linebacker after cutting Jamie Collins, but they may already have the replacement in the building.

The Cleveland Browns had a lot of problems with their linebacker group during the 2018 regular season. Christian Kirksey suffered a season-ending injury in the middle of the season, Joe Schobert missed games, and Jamie Collins continued his inconsistent play.

Entering the off-season, it’s expected that the Browns will make some moves to add depth and talent to the linebacker corps. They will also have one new starter next season.

The Browns decided to cut Collins after his inconsistent play did not warrant his large salary. The Browns saved around $10 million by cutting Collins, which is money they could reinvest into the position.

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The linebacker free agent class is strong at the top, with players like Anthony Barr, Jordan Hicks, C.J. Mosley, and K.J. Wright headlining the group. All four players would be upgrades at the position for the Browns and would help bolster the defense.

However, the Browns may not be willing to pay big money to any of those free agents, even though they are in need of a starting linebacker. If the Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and linebackers coach Al Holcomb are confident in Genard Avery, then they may not see adding a starting linebacker as a major need.

A fifth-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Avery’s play last season was a pleasant surprise for those that follow the Browns. The 23-year-old played in all 16 games, including five starts, and made 40 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, 14 quarterback hits, and four passes defended.

Avery moved around the defense, starting the season playing on the edge before starting in place of Kirksey as the WILL linebacker. Although he played much better playing off the edge, he seemed to improve playing in space as the season went on.

Although Avery thrived playing on the edge last season, it will be hard for him to get consistent snaps there in 2019. The Browns made a big move by adding Olivier Vernon and he is expected to be the starter. As of right now, Emmanuel Ogbah is still on the roster and should play a decent amount of snaps in a rotation at defensive end. So for Avery, there may not be as many snaps on the edge as there were last season.

The biggest question about starting Avery at linebacker is if he can handle playing in coverage regularly. He had a lot of trouble covering last season – as did most of the other linebackers – which allowed tight ends and running backs to pick apart the Browns defense. If the Browns want to give Avery an expanded role, he will certainly have to improve his coverage ability.

The one approach the Browns could take with Avery is to play him in a hybrid linebacker role. Avery was one of the best rookies in the league last season at getting in the backfield and pressuring the quarterback. He accounted for 42 pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Similar to Gregg Williams’ defense last season, Wilks wants his linebackers to be aggressive. If Avery is named a starting linebacker, Wilks could decide use Avery as a frequent blitzer. Coaches always want to play to their player’s strengths, and rushing the quarterback is one of Avery’s best strengths.

It may be too big of a jump for Avery to become a regular starter on the Browns defense next season. He made a lot of plays, but he still has holes he needs to work on to become a reliable starting linebacker.

If Avery can work on improving his deficiencies this off-season, there is a case to be made that he could be a starting linebacker next season. And instead of spending a bunch of money at the position, the Browns may decide to see if he has what it takes to be a starting linebacker.