Cleveland Browns bye week report cards: Linebackers

Malcolm Smith – B+

Malcolm Smith was signed late in training camp after an injury to Mack Wilson, and has been solid. The former Super Bowl MVP has displayed a decent feel for coverage and clearly has better run instincts than B.J. Goodson. The Browns LB corps would be in a very bad spot without Smith, who has been given his largest role since 2016 and is doing a fine job with it.

Sione Takitaki – C+

A 2019 third-round pick, Sione Takitaki was very productive in college, had a flair for the big hit, and tested very well at the Scouting Combine. He played only about 100 defensive snaps as a rookie, but has been a situational starter this season, meaning he’s deployed in obvious run situations. He provides almost no help against the pass, and gets picked on by opposing quarterbacks whenever he’s on the field.

When the opponent is running the ball, Takitaki is physical and instinctive, putting himself in position to make plenty of stops this season. He’s an inconsistent tackler, however, which has put a damper on his effectiveness in his role. His snaps per game have gradually decreased as the season has gone on, so it appears the team has moved on from him in a sense.

He’ll never be a full-time starter, which is a disappointment for a third-round pick, but he can fill a specific role for this team. The question is how important that role really is in a pass-happy league. If Cleveland had an instinctive MIKE, would they really need Takitaki to play at all?