How full is Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods’ plate?

One of the biggest question marks that still surround the Cleveland Browns is the defense. With a lot of moving parts, just how full is Joe Woods’ plate?

Setting aside the fact that last year was supposed to be a year for the Cleveland Browns to turn things around, another group that was supposed to improve a ton, but didn’t, was the defense.

Falling in the bottom half of the league in terms of team defense rankings, the Browns allowed 361 yards per game, 144 on the ground and 216 through the air. Run defense has been something the Browns have seemingly always struggled with, and they did not take a step in the right direction last year, even after signing Sheldon Richardson.

This year? Joe Woods. In his first season as a defensive coordinator back in 2017 for the Broncos, Woods’ defense finished third overall. One key highlight that stands out the most was during that season, Woods run defense was also fifth in the entire league. It was a huge turnaround after Denver ranked 28th overall in the league the year before. If Woods can bring that same magic over to the Browns run defense, the opportunities are endless for this team.

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Outside of Woods trying to come in and just simply improve the teams’ rankings and get their numbers better, there are also a lot of moving parts and new parts that will take some adjusting to do. First of all, he is a Super Bowl defensive coach coming to a defense that has been atrocious for years.

While he has plenty of talent to work with, it is definitely a group of guys who are a mixed bucket. Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett will be coming back off a season-ending suspension, the linebacker room has received tons of hate for simply being way too thin, and the secondary is also young and has guys who have had recent injury issues. While corner Denzel Ward had a far better year than most think, he and corner Greedy Williams missed multiple games together due to injury.

Browns fans across the world are still waiting for the defensive line to put up solid numbers. In terms of linebackers, their best guy is Mack Wilson. In the secondary, the addition of Karl Joseph has fans with high hopes. After that, rookie Grant Delpit will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his skill-set.

Let it be known that if the Browns find a way to have a lot of success this season, it will be because the defense takes a giant step up from last season and Woods will get a ton of praise. Again, Woods has a ton of different moving parts to handle this season and it is a very tall task.

As much hype as the offense gets, I sure am looking forward to seeing the defense get after it and turn heads because if there is one thing that remains and never goes away, it is that defense wins championships.