Cleveland Browns quarter mark PFF grades very friendly to offense, defense less so

Offense

The Browns are currently PFF’s fifth-ranked team, and place third offensively, behind only the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. It was easy to expect Clevland’s offense to improve this season, but the offensive output over the last three games has been incredible. The Browns have a middling 20th-ranked passing attack, but their 84.8 run grade paces the league, as does their 88.1 run-block grade. The Patriots rank second in that last category with a 77.9, which shows how dominant Cleveland’s run game has been.

That’s a stark contrast from 2019, when the Browns were ranked 29th with a 51.7 run-block grade. It’s impossible to overstate how great of a job Callahan has done. The team’s 84.8 pass-block grade is second to only New England, by just 0.1. Berry made it his priority to upgrade the offensive line in his first offseason as GM, and the results have been extraordinary.

Both Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin earned spots on PFF’s First-Quarter All-Pro team, a feat that was unexpected for both players. Teller was solid last season, but no one saw this transformation coming. He’s been the best guard in football, allowing just three hurries over 133 pass-block snaps and being downright nasty in the run game. If any outlet is tracking pancakes, Teller has to be first by a mile.

Conklin has always been a solid tackle, but he’s become borderline top-five as a Brown. His 92.0 overall grade against the Dallas Cowboys was the best mark of his career, and he’s now at 85.8 for the season.

J.C. Tretter and Joel Bitonio have been their usual excellent selves, grading out at 80.4 and 77.9, respectively. Rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has made the transition to LT admirably, and is coming off his highest pass-block grade thus far; an 80.0 while dealing with DeMarcus Lawrence and Aldon Smith.

The stellar play of the offensive line has made life easy for running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Both players have an overall grade above 75, and D’Ernest Johnson came in off the bench in Week 4 and earned a mark of 87.4. It doesn’t really matter who is in the backfield; with this line and this scheme, they’ll produce.

Baker Mayfield‘s 66.4 passing grade is actually down from 71.7, but Mayfield has yet to have a game placed on his shoulders because he’s been able to lean on a so-far unstoppable rushing attack. There will be games where the Browns must win because of Mayfield, and the first could be this week, as Cleveland faces the best defense in the NFL in the Indianapolis Colts.

Mayfield’s weapons have been pretty much as advertised. Odell Beckham Jr.’s receiving grades over the past two games are his highest since Week 2 of 2019. He’s finally healthy, and it shows. Jarvis Landry, unfortunately, is not, but is still playing solid ball.

Austin Hooper has yet to really get involved in the passing game, but he’s working tirelessly as a run blocker, and his 74.9 mark there is by far the best of his career.