Freddie Kitchens was proven right about Cleveland Browns defensive line

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens has emphasized the point that the defensive line is the strength of the team, and he was proven right Thursday.

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens has said he believes the defensive line is the strength of the 2019 Browns. He has doubled-down on that belief, and his confidence in the group makes seem like it is more of a fact instead of belief.

Although the Browns have a stellar starting defensive front of Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon, there were some questions about the depth of the group. Depth was a major issue in 2018, and the Browns did not add much depth in the offseason.

But when the Browns took the field on Thursday night, the defensive line was showing why Kitchens believed they were the strength of the team. No matter who was on the field, they were making life miserable for the Washington offensive line.

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The Browns defensive front was consistently generating pressure, whether it be from up the middle or off the edge. And a lot of the pressure came from surprising players that are not known for their pass rushing capabilities, such as Trevon Coley and Chad Thomas.

Thomas was the most surprising player because of his lack of impact during any part of the 2018 season. But when he was on the field, Thomas was constantly getting in the face of the quarterback and was working around the right tackle. He finished the game with one tackle and a quarterback hit.

Coley was one of many defensive tackles who was making plays. Devaroe Lawrence made multiple big plays up the middle, including sacking Redskins quarterback inside the five-yard line and almost forcing a fumble. Lawrence finished the game with three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit. But it was Carl Davis who led the group with four tackles.

The group was not only generating a ton of pressure against the Redskins quarterbacks, but they were stuffing Washington’s rushing attempts. The Redskins rushed for only 3.0 yards per carry and could not move the ball against Cleveland’s defensive front.

The Browns defensive line proved to be extremely effective, even with the reserves playing nearly the entire game, as Garrett and Ogunjobi were the only starters who played. It may have only been one game, but the group showed why Freddie Kitchens believes they are the strength of the team.