Grading Cleveland Browns position groups after free agency and draft
By Clay Goodwin
Defensive line: B+
The defensive line group is one of the strengths of this team and especially the defense. The group is led by the incredible Myles Garrett who was the first overall pick in 2017. He is truly an elite player and one of the very best defensive players in the entire National Football League. The other edge player is Olivier Vernon.
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Vernon has made the Pro Bowl once in his fine career. He is really a talented player and can contribute greatly opposite Garrett. Last year, there was no question that Vernon struggled to stay on the field and stay productive.
He was less productive than he should have been, but that is likely due to injury himself and then Myles Garrett being off the field for 6 games.
The starting tackle positions are going to be Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson. Richardson also has been a Pro Bowler before, and Ogunjobi is one of the young, developing talents on the Browns team. Both are quality starters but need a little bit more production this year to make this line elite.
The Browns also added quality backups in Adrian Clayborn at DE and Andrew Billings at DT. Both players will be very important to the defensive line and provide assurance in case of injury. Last season, the depth of the line was exposed when Garrett was suspended, Vernon was hurt, and Ogunjobi was suspended. This year, they should be much deeper on the D-line.