Do Cleveland Browns have any 3-down linebackers?

The Cleveland Browns re-shuffled their linebacking corps but according to Cory Kinnan of NFL Spin Zone, there’s still no 3-down linebacker which is just fine

It’s no secret that the Cleveland Browns least impressive positional group in 2020 was at linebacker. After releasing Christina Kirksey and electing not to re-sign Joe Schobert, they went with a makeshift corps that had its share of problems.

This led to general manager Andrew Berry making some huge changes this offseason which including signing free agent Anthony Walker and drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Tony Fields.

Even with these moves, Cory Kinnan of NFL Spin Zone says the Browns don’t have any true three-down linebackers on their roster. However, he says this is completely fine for their defense.

"“Despite this overhaul, the Browns still may not have a true three-down linebacker, and that is just fine for them.” — Kinnan on the current state of the Cleveland linebackers"

Kinnan did say that the one player who could end up being on the field for all three downs in JOK, but the Notre Dame product is still a bit of a hybrid player. That means that even if he does see the field more than the rest of the linebackers, he won’t necessarily be playing in a traditional linebacker role.

As for the rest of the crew, he stated that JOK, Anthony Walker, and Jacob Phillips are the only three in the positional group guaranteed to have a roster spot. This might be tough to hear for fans of Mack Wilson but the former Alabama star hasn’t separated himself from the pack which could make it hard for him to make the roster.

Walker and Phillips will be there and they each have a lot to like about their game. Having said that, neither is a stud in the passing game which is why it wouldn’t be surprising to see defensive coordinator Joe Woods shuffle things around and use them on early downs, only to place better coverage linebackers on the field on third down.

Woods also said recently that he would like to use more nickel and dime packages, which is another reason Kinnan sees no issue with the team not having that traditional three-down backer on the roster.

We have to wait and see how it all works out but this linebacking corps fits the scheme much better in 2020 and while it might still be the weakest on the roster, it’s vastly improved from 2020.