Is the Cleveland Browns defense being overlooked?

The Cleveland Browns offensive players have been the primary source of discussion in OTAs but head coach Freddie Kitchens reminds us the defense had some good additions as well this offseason

So far in the early portions of the Cleveland Browns OTAs, we have seen Baker Mayfield throwing to some new wideouts while also getting a glimpse at running back Kareem Hunt in his new uniform.

While that’s topped the headlines, head coach Freddie Kitchens wants us all to know that there are some new players on the other side of the ball as well.

Kitchens took some time with reporters who were talking about some of the new pieces and let them know that a couple of new pieces were added to a defense that struggled in 2018.

"“I don’t know if you guys got the AP Wire. Is there an AP Wire still going on these days? Anyways, we signed some defensive guys that can play some football,” Kitchens said via Nick Shook of ClevelandBrowns.com. “We really did. (Defensive tackle) Sheldon Richardson, (defensive end) Olivier Vernon, (safety) Morgan Burnett, we added some pieces on defense, too. Hopefully, you guys in the fall start talking about them a little bit.”"

In 2018, the Browns defense surrendered 24.5 points per game which landed them at No. 21 in the league. They were 30th in yards, giving up 393 per contest. Those numbers clearly didn’t sit well with general manager John Dorsey, who added Sheldon Richardson and Morgan Burnett in free agency as well as Olivier Vernon in a trade.

He then focused on that side of the ball in the draft, using five of their seven picks on defenders. This was highlighted by the selection of cornerback Greedy Williams but also included linebackers Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson.

There’s still work to do as all the parts continue to gel together, while also learning new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ scheme. But one thing is for certain, there’s much more talent on this side in 2019 and Freddie Kitchens wants to make sure they aren’t overlooked.