Cleveland Browns: 3 under-the-radar players to watch in Week 5

2. Jordan Elliott, Defensive Tackle

Cleveland’s defensive line has played well, and Jordan Elliott has been a key part of it. The third-round rookie was a pressure machine at Missouri, but that hasn’t quite translated to the NFL yet. Still, he’s been a solid run defender and allows defensive coordinator Joe Woods to rotate out starters Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson, keeping them fresh.

Elliott had a rough game against Dallas, even with starting center Joe Looney exiting the game early with an injury. Elliott’s 37.0 PFF grade is ugly, but it’s one blip on the radar of an otherwise solid start to his pro career. Andrew Billings opting out of the 2020 season was a huge blow to the Browns defensive line depth, but Elliott has done a fine job in a role larger than anticipated.

Ogunjobi suffered an oblique injury on Sunday, the extent of which is currently unknown. Even if he can go this week, it’s likely he’ll be limited, so Elliott’s role stands to increase. He’ll need to have a bounceback game against one of the best lines in the NFL. Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, and Quenton Nelson will be a tough assignment for Elliott, but maybe this will end up being his breakout game. He offers more pass-rush upside than Ogunjobi anyway, which will be important, as Philip Rivers is entirely capable of picking apart the Cleveland secondary if given time.

The Browns secondary is not good enough to overcome a weak pass rush, so Eliott and the rest of Myles Garrett‘s sidekicks have to step up.