Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

5 ways the Cleveland Browns can have a winning record in 2020

By Justice Sunderland

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Wide receiver Odell Beckham #13 of the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 stand during the national anthem before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Wide receiver Odell Beckham #13 of the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 stand during the national anthem before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 14: Joe Schobert #53 of the Cleveland Browns and Mack Wilson #51 celebrate after breaking up a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Smith-Schuster left the game with a concussion. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 14: Joe Schobert #53 of the Cleveland Browns and Mack Wilson #51 celebrate after breaking up a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Smith-Schuster left the game with a concussion. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

3.  Get more help from the secondary and linebackers

2019 was a good season for the defensive line until they lost their backbone, Myles Garrett. There were several games last year where the defensive line didn’t have a chance to make an impact because the linebackers and secondary couldn’t hold their weight.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

Some of that was due to injuries. Nobody started more than 12 games in the secondary and their starting cornerbacks, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams missed the first four games with injuries.

Starting free safety Morgan Burnett only played eight games before he got hurt and missed the rest of the season and Damarious Randall was the starting free safety for much of the season, but Browns fans know about all the troubles he had last year and those are a why he won’t be with the team this season.

The linebackers also suffered key injuries as Christian Kirksey, a team captain, got hurt in Week 2 and missed the remainder of the season and was replaced by a rookie Mack Wilson.

Wilson and Joe Schobert both struggled to get avoid blockers and make plays in the running game. They were both good in pass coverage but didn’t do much to help get pressure on the quarterback.

Schobert signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency for a big price tag so it is unclear who will occupy the middle this season. The Browns did sign B.J. Goodson who spent the last few years with the Green Bay Packers.

Goodson is far from being a sure thing at middle linebacker but he may be the best option Cleveland has right now. They need a much more consistent year from both units to help balance out their defense.

Home/Browns News