The Cleveland Browns' once-elite defense was nowhere to be found in Week 1. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked like a former No. 1 overall pick, completing 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns before Liam Coen mercifully pulled him out of the game.
The Jaguars had five players record multiple receptions, led by Parker Washington's five grabs for 83 yards and a touchdown. Notably, half of Washington's production came when lined up against Browns nickel Myles Harden.
Harden has been singled out as the secondary's lone weak spot for more than a year now. However, head coach Todd Monken said he wouldn't make any changes ahead of Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That only spells trouble against Tampa Bay's myriad of slot threats.
Browns can't afford to leave Myles Harden exposed against Buccaneers' slot weapons
Washington went off to the races early in the game, running away from Harden for a 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter. All in all, he secured both of his targets for 36 yards and a score when lined up against Harden. That likely played a role in defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg's decision to go more zone heavy for the rest of the game.
The Browns' defense is built to play man-to-man, and unsurprisingly, they struggled to adjust.
According to Pro Football Focus, Harden was the primary defender on four of Lawrence's passes. He allowed a catch on every single one of those passes for a total of 54 yards, one touchdown, 13.5 yards per catch, two first downs, and 11 yards after the catch for a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
Up next, the Browns will face Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka, a trio of dynamic pass catchers who can all do plenty of damage out of the slot. They must be licking their chops at the thought of lining up against one of the least intimidating nickelbacks in the game.
The Browns could have to trust second-round rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren more going forward. He only played 14 snaps on defense in the season opener, with just one of them coming in the slot. He logged 12 more snaps on special teams.
Cleveland has one of the most underrated defensive back rooms in the game, but Harden is an easy target to keep exploiting. McNeil-Warren might be inexperienced, but he's bigger, faster, and more athletic than the average nickel.
Rutenberg wants to play more zone, and that's fine, but it'll take some time to adjust after the Browns played mostly man coverage under former DC Jim Schwartz.
In the meantime, getting the one weak link off the field is probably an easier and smarter solution.
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