Cleveland Browns: 4 Instant reactions to lackluster win vs. Jaguars

4. Defense must get healthy in a hurry

If the Browns have any hopes of upsetting the sure-to-be favorites next week against the Titans, they will need their defense back to full strength, or at least as close as they can get. This season, the three best players on the defense have been without a doubt: Myles Garrett, who is on his way to a potential Defensive Player of the Year award, Denzel Ward, playing like a Pro Bowler once again, and Ronnie Harrison, who has made Berry look like a genius by bringing him on board.

However Garrett has now missed two games due to the ongoing pandemic, Ward injured his groin last week and is now out for a “few weeks,” and Harrison has been battling injuries for back-to-back weeks now. In fact, Harrison left today’s game with a shoulder injury on the very first play from scrimmage.

The Browns will likely (hopefully) get Garrett back in time for the game against the Titans next week, but they will be without Ward, and by the looks of it, Harrison as well. With this being the case, the Browns will need as much depth back as possible, including the likes of Porter Gustin as they look to stay as fresh as possible.

Already mangled defensively, the Browns cannot afford a limited roster as they have not only the Titans, but the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers left on their schedule to end the season. If the Browns want to be taken seriously, they need to compete with these teams.

If they want to compete with these teams, they will need to be at their best defensively, because even that is quite underwhelming.