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Cleveland Browns 5 biggest needs entering offseason

By Randy Gurzi

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: JC Tretter #64, Joel Bitonio #75, and Greg Robinson #78 of the Cleveland Browns walk to the line of scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: JC Tretter #64, Joel Bitonio #75, and Greg Robinson #78 of the Cleveland Browns walk to the line of scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – DECEMBER 29: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – DECEMBER 29: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

5. Defensive depth — everywhere

One thing John Dorsey did that was highly questionable was move on from any player that was unable to retain a starting job. He released Carl Nassib, who has done well with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also shipped off Emmanuel Ogbah, who ended up getting hurt but could have provided solid depth.

He did the same thing in the secondary, saying goodbye to Jason McCourty and Jamar Taylor. Then during the 2019 season, he traded away Genard Avery, who started some games on the defensive line in 2018 as a rookie.

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Doing so created a lack of depth for the Browns, and some of those players he cast off could have served them well as replacements for injuries as well as simple depth throughout the long season.

That was one of the knocks on Dorsey though. Coming to Cleveland it was said his talent evaluation was off the charts but he never really understood how to build an entire 53-man roster. That was the case with the Browns and the team wore down as the season went on — especially on the defensive line where most of the players he got rid of resided.

This offseason, Cleveland needs to add some serious depth on the defensive side of the ball — where most of the questionable moves were made by Dorsey. At the end of 2019, they had Sheldrick Redwine starting at safety while Bryan Cox, Jr. and Porter Gustin logged significant snaps at defensive end.

Injuries will happen. You cannot predict where, which means you need depth everywhere. And this offseason, Cleveland needs to add a lot of that to their defense.

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