Titans will have major problem containing Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett

The Cleveland Browns defensive front is going to be trouble for many teams in 2019, but the Titans are going to have their hands full in the season opener.

The Tennessee Titans have known for a few weeks now that they will have to manage Myles Garrett and the rest of the Cleveland Browns defensive line without their starting left tackle Taylor Lewan. Lewan knew he would be facing a four-game suspension back in July.

Had Lewan been eligible to start the regular season, he would have been given the task of attempting to keep Garrett out of the backfield and away from quarterback Marcus Mariota. But with his suspension, that task has been pushed off on veteran Dennis Kelly, who may not be 100 percent healthy entering Sunday’s game against the Browns.

Kelly played 367 snaps last season, mostly at right tackle. The 29-year-old fared well, allowing only four total pressures, including one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. During the 2019 preseason, Kelly played 37 snaps, allowing only two pressures.

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The veteran swing tackle will have to make a quick adjustment to primarily playing left tackle because he will have his hands full with Garrett to start the season. In his limited action during the preseason, Garrett generated two pressures on only 13 snaps.

Garrett has the rare combination of speed and power, making it nearly impossible for tackles to guess what move Garrett will use on every play. And that thought only comes to mind for offensive linemen if they are somehow able to beat Garrett’s lightning quick burst after timing snaps.

Because Garrett has a wide arsenal of moves to beat offensive linemen and collapse the pocket, Kelly needs to use his 6-foot-8, 321 pound frame in order to give Mariota as much time as possible to go through his reads. If he cannot, it could turn into a long game for the Titans offense.

But where the bigger problem occurs for the Titans is how the Browns plan to utilize their defensive line. It became known during training camp that the Browns were planning on moving Garrett around the defensive line, most notably switching sides with Olivier Vernon. By switching Garrett and Vernon, it could create problems for the Titans game plan of providing help to whichever side Garrett is on.

If the Titans are unable to adjust to the switch, it could result in one-on-one opportunities for Garrett, which is exactly what the Titans do not want. But Vernon moving to the side of Kelly will be dangerous in itself.

Although Vernon did not live up to his contract with the New York Giants, he proved to still be a productive pass rusher. In 2018, Vernon made 46 total pressures, including seven sacks. He showed during the preseason he boasts a similar speed and power combination as Garrett.

Vernon may not be viewed in the same light as Garrett, but he can still get after the quarterback and hinder passing attacks. Pairing him with Garrett and making offenses guess where they’ll line up will make the duo even more dangerous.

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With the pair of defensive ends the Browns have, any team is going to have issues containing them. But with the Titans replacing their starting left tackle, it could prove to be a major issue that becomes the story of Sunday’s regular season opener.

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