Dawg Pound Daily
FanSided

5 worst moves of the Cleveland Browns 2021 offseason

By Sam Penix

Oct 25, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) leaves the game with an apparent injury during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) leaves the game with an apparent injury during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Cleveland Browns
Oct 17, 2020; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Tony Fields II (1) celebrates with linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo (7) after a defensive stop during the third quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Drafting two linebackers

It was not a surprise to see the Browns address the linebacker position in the 2021 NFL Draft. After all, they had one of the NFL’s worst units, and not many clear solutions.

Starting mike Anthony Walker is on a one-year deal (as is will Malcolm Smith), second-year man Jacob Phillips flashed but was plagued by injuries, and Sione Takitaki is a limited player who requires a defined role to be successful.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was of tremendous value in the second round, but he has not done linebacker things. The transition will be bumpy for him, but that alone does not explain the decision to draft Tony Fields II in the fifth round, especially over plenty of quality defensive backs.

Fields’ role is difficult to project at the moment. He played mike well at Arizona, but he stands just 6-0 and 222 pounds, and likely played even lighter than that. He has good speed but lacks the power and length to reliably shed blocks. He possesses good speed and decent coverage ability, though he didn’t do much of it.

Will the team keep all six of Walker, Smith, Owusu-Koramoah, Fields, and Takitaki? There aren’t enough snaps for all of them, as the Browns plan to use three cornerbacks or safeties on most defensive snaps.

What exactly does Fields give the team that the others do not? Hard to say, but he does have a degree of special teams experience. Drafting for only special teams in the early fifth round is a tough pill to swallow, however.

Home/Browns Roster