Cleveland Browns bye week report cards: Defensive line

Sheldon Richardson – C+

Sheldon Richardson is the Browns best defensive tackle right now, but that’s not exactly a high bar to clear. He’s making $13.6 million this season, and is due the same amount next season (with very little dead cap if cut, an out the team will almost certainly use), and while he’s a solid player, he’s not worth elite DT money.

His pressure rate is down to under 7 percent, and he is not a great run defender. To be fair, Cleveland intended to have Andrew Billings starting alongside Richardson this year, but Billings opted out of the campaign due to being a high-risk individual. Richardson is far from bad, but he’s also not playing as well as the team needs him to.

Larry Ogunjobi – D

Larry Ogunjobi has all the physical talent in the world, but he’s yet to build on his excellent rookie campaign, and has regressed in each successive season. He was very good against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, but since then he’s been a big problem, and not for opposing lines. His 5.9 percent pressure rate is poor, and he provides almost no resistance in the run game. To be fair, he is playing out of position at 1-tech, but that still doesn’t excuse his very poor play.

He’s the third-best DT on the roster, and the Browns will be improving through addition by subtraction when he walks in free agency after the season. It’s disappointing that he’s been unable to show any development, but he’s far from the first player to peak as a rookie.