3 areas the Cleveland Browns Defense needs to improve in 2021
By Greg Newland
2. Find a home for JOK and Delpit
Even though Woods was the defensive coordinator last season, he didn’t have the personnel to run the 4-2-5 defense. He was struggling to find four secondary guys to throw in there, and the team was far too slow at linebacker to make the adjustment.
This year he will have a different problem. He will have a guy like Grant Delpit who will play the rover type role. He can line up in the secondary, at linebacker, or even blitz of the edge. Delpit has the size to cover tight ends, and the speed to stick with wide receivers.
It will be important for Woods to move him around and confuse the defenses, but to not put too much on the second-year player’s plate. Remember, Delpit didn’t play a snap last year after tearing his Achilles in training camp.
The biggest question of the roster for many right now, what is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK)? Truthfully, I see it as a no-brainer, he is a linebacker. But I also see the concerns some have as he is undersized.
While athleticism is a must in the 4-2-5 scheme, JOK will have to be able to stand up against the interior run game. With one less body in the box, that just gives the offense more options to cover him up at times, which he did struggle with in college.
Isiah Simmons was supposed to be the next all-pro utility player last year, but he really struggled to find the right position. I don’t think JOK will face as many challenges because he played so many snaps at linebacker in college, but the Browns can’t be afraid to keep him off the field early if he isn’t ready.