Cleveland Browns: 3 unheralded players who will make an impact
By Randy Gurzi
2. Chris Smith, Defensive End
The combination of Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon could end up giving opposing offensive linemen fits. Garrett developed into one of the better edge rushers in the NFL last season, recording 13.5 sacks. While that was impressive, he was apparently limited in his pass rush moves by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams which gives us hope he can do even more this year.
As for Vernon, it wasn’t that long ago that he was one of the hottest names in the NFL. After recording 29 sacks in four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, he signed a massive five-year $85 million contract with the New York Giants. He never lived up to that deal, but he was still a very good pass rusher. In his three seasons with New York, Vernon had another 22 sacks, including seven in 2018 while playing in only 11 games.
As promising as these two are, the Browns need to have some depth in order to keep them from being worn down as the season goes on. That’s what makes veteran Chris Smith so important. A free agent pickup from the Cincinnati Bengals last year, Smith was the primary defensive end off the bench in 2018 and will have that role once again this year — unless we see a huge jump from Chad Thomas, which doesn’t seem too likely.
Smith won’t blow anyone away with his abilities, but he’s a capable reserve who recorded 21 tackles and a sack in his first season with the Browns. He won’t get a lot of play on passing downs, but doing his job and helping to spell both their star edge rushers will be vital — even if he doesn’t get much love for it.