3 big fixes for the Cleveland Browns defense in 2023
By Greg Newland
Cleveland Browns defensive fix No. 2 – A Different Scheme
I’ll never sit here and say that Joe Woods was a bad defensive coordinator, but he was trying to shove a round peg in a square hole for the Cleveland Browns.
This defense has three secondary players in Denzel Ward, Greg Newsom, and Martin Emerson who are at their best in man coverage and struggle tackling in the open field. With that being said, why did the Browns run so much zone coverage in the last three seasons?
Additionally, Wood’s scheme had very little blitzing which allowed one of the best pass rushers in the league, Myles Garrett, to be double-teamed more than any player in the league. Just a few different looks in each game could have given him three to four more additional sacks last season.
Again, Woods will likely have success in the NFL as he did in San Francisco before coming to Cleveland, but Jim Schwartz is a far better fit in Cleveland.
Not only is Schwartz known for being a motivator, but his defensive scheme is also simple yet aggressive which fits this personnel to a tee.
Not only will you see the Browns run far more man coverage in 2023, but you will also see guys like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Delpit blitzing from various parts of the field making it difficult for teams to zero in on Garrett.