4 first-year Cleveland Browns who will be gone in 2023
By Greg Newland
Cleveland Browns one and done No. 3: Taven Bryan
No one was surprised when the Cleveland Browns signed Taven Bryan this offseason. Berry has a fascination with former first-round picks that don’t live up to expectations and signing them to one-year deals.
Bryan who was infamous for being a horrible run defender lived up to expectations in Cleveland and was a major liability on the interior line in running situations. So many times, he would be a step behind the play in the back, inches away from a tackle for loss, but then the running back would go for 20 yards untouched because of the gaping hole left from undisciplined play.
Bryan is a pass-rushing specialist and is athletic enough that he could almost transition to defensive end if he wanted to put the work in. However, his work ethic is another question mark. There were a lot of plays in 2022 where it felt like the effort of the entire Browns defense was lackluster, and Bryan was a major part of that.
It’s hard to be upset at Berry as Bryan was a very low-risk move, but it was also signing a guy who played a ton of snaps that was a below-average player. I know the analytics want an athletic defensive tackle who can rush the passer, but the Browns must find someone who can clog up gaps and stop the run.