3 reasons Cleveland Browns defense will be greatly improved in 2021
By Josh Brown
2. Run and pass defense should be better
Statistically, the Browns don’t look as though they would not need to get better against the run. However, sometimes stats are misleading as teams were not forced to run against the Browns last year based on a porous secondary. When the Browns were tested in the run game, they gave up 231 yards to a down Raiders attack and 123 yards against the Chiefs in the playoffs. They have to be better, and they will be.
The biggest reason the Browns have a chance to improve against the run is the addition of Jadeveon Clowney. When healthy, Clowney is clearly one of the best run defenders in the NFL, and he can move all over the front seven to help create mismatches. Combine that with Andrew Billings and Myles Garrett’s solid run defense, and the line should be able to help while keeping linebackers clean.
Another big help to the defense, in not only the passing game but also the run game, is speed. JOK brings a ton of speed and playmaking, if he is anything close to what we saw at Notre Dame. Greg Newsome ran a 4.38 40 at his pro day. Both Greedy Williams (4.37) and Grant Delpit (4.39) healthy bring even more speed back to the secondary, helping tighten the defense’s edges. While not as fast as the rest, John Johnson has not only been an excellent coverage safety but also incredible at helping in the run game.
Seeing all that speed above also shows how much potential this secondary has to improve in 2021. If all of these guys, plus Denzel Ward, stay healthy, the Browns have a chance to have the best secondary in the NFL, and they should with the heavy investments made over the past four years. The biggest key, as usual, will be keeping them on the field.
As said multiple times before, it will come down to health. However, this Browns defense healthy has enough talent to reach top ten status in the NFL.