3 Cleveland Browns who have been heroes in 2021

Cleveland Browns Hero No. 1: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

The Browns did it. They have finally found a linebacker that can consistently make a tackle on the first effort. A linebacker that attacks a ball carrier, rather than waiting for them. A linebacker that doesn’t get run around lost every play.

Mack Wilson was been a liability for the Browns every time he was on the field last year. He never was able to live up to the hype of his potential, but Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah made that a problem no longer. Owusu-Koramoah has given the Browns exactly what they have been missing at the linebacker position.

Prior to Owusu-Koramoah’s injury in the Week 6 match-up against the Arizona Cardinals, he was the highest-graded linebacker in the NFL by pro football focus. Not the highest-graded rookie linebacker, the highest of any in the league.

He was visibly a difference-maker the first time he touched the field for Cleveland. His heat-seeking missile mentality was one of a kind on this Cleveland defense. Before his injury, he led the entire team in tackles with 29 and had four passes defended to pair with it. There was no doubt he was the second-best athlete on this defense behind Myles Garrett.

His electric play in the first six weeks alone was enough to shut down any talk about him being too small to play linebacker. He may be the smallest linebacker on this team, but plays bigger than any other.

While Mack Wilson has not been bad as last year, he simply just lacks the play-making ability of Owusu-Koramoah. Without him in the lineup, the linebacking core plays the waiting game, not the go get em’ game.