Olivier Vernon will be vital to Cleveland Browns final six games

With the loss of Myles Garrett for the rest of the season, the Cleveland Browns will be relying on Olivier Vernon during the final stretch of the season.

The pairing of Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon was expected to take the performance of the Cleveland Browns defensive line to the next level in 2019. But as the Browns prepare for their Week 12 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, there’s a reasonable chance neither player suits up.

Vernon has missed the last two games due to a knee injury and did not practice on Wednesday. If Vernon does not practice Thursday, it will become increasingly unlikely he plays Sunday.

Garrett will not be suiting up against the Miami Dolphins as he begins to serve his indefinite suspension (pending appeal) for his role in the brawl against the Steelers. Garrett is currently slated to miss the rest of 2019, putting more pressure on Vernon to get healthy.

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Without Garrett on the field, the Browns will be losing their best pass rusher who offensive coordinators have to specifically game plan for. Garrett not being on the field is going to allow quarterbacks more time in the pocket to find windows in the secondary, ultimately limiting the Browns defense.

Cleveland lacks depth at defensive end after trading Emmanuel Ogbah and Genard Avery in the calendar year. Other than Garrett and Vernon, the Browns defensive ends are Chad Thomas, Chris Smith, and Bryan Cox. That is why Vernon is going to be key for the Browns the rest of the season.

Vernon is the only other Browns defensive end who has shown a knack for getting after the quarterback regularly. His overall numbers on the season may not show a dominant pass rusher, but he was turning up the pressure during the last three games he played in. Vernon made 12 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and five quarterback hits in his last three games.

The 29-year-old has been a fundamentally sound defensive end all season, which has limited his pass rushing. Instead of going right after the quarterback, Vernon has kept contain, forcing the quarterback to stay in the pocket and into the waiting arms of Garrett or another Browns defender.

But with Garrett expected to miss the rest of the season, Vernon is going to need to be an all-out pass rusher. Without a pass rush, Steve Wilks’ aggressive defense will be prone to give up chunk plays if the secondary is unable to keep tight coverage. Because of Garrett and blitzes getting home, the secondary has not had to keep tight coverage for too long this season. But without Garrett’s pass rushing, the secondary will have to play good coverage longer so the pass rush has more time to get to the quarterback.

Vernon can quell some of those issues if he shows off his pass rushing ability from earlier in his career. Vernon has 54 career sacks and 139 quarterback hits and has proven he can make a difference as a pass rusher. He hasn’t needed to be a dominant pass rusher in Cleveland so far, but that will change the next time he hits the field.

Vernon has been one of Cleveland’s best defensive players this season, especially against the run. He is almost always making the right play and putting himself and the defense in good positions on most plays. But he is going to need to step up during the final six games if the Browns want to continue their hopes of reaching the postseason.

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The biggest obstacle for Vernon is obviously getting healthy. Because of the lackluster play of the Miami Dolphins, he may not need to be on the field Week 12. And if he has another week to get healthy, it will help him be physically ready for the final stretch of the season. But no matter what, Vernon is going to be one of the biggest keys for the rest of the 2019 Browns season.

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