3 Browns who don’t need to see the field again after disastrous Week 18 performance

2. Matthew Adams, LB

One player who was signed for a specific reason this year was Matthew Adams. A special teams ace, he was supposed to help shore things up on punt and kickoff coverage — especially since he had experience working with new special teams coach Bubba Ventrone in Indianapolis.

He did well all year on coverage teams and was even able to force a fumble in Week 17 against the New York Jets. That loose ball was recovered by Mike Ford, who was also signed to improve their special teams. This week, he was asked to play on the base defense and that proved to be an issue.

Adams had a couple of hard hits, which is what makes him so good on special teams but he was a liability in coverage. He also whiffed on a couple of tackles including a long run from Chase Brown. Adams had a free shot on that one and should have took him down for a loss but he didn't wrap up the running back. Instead, he dove for the hard hit and missed, allowing Brown to shoot through the hole.

None of this is to say Adams shouldn't be on the field for special teams. That's where he excels. But right now, they would be better served to look for another option to fill in for their base defense if needed. That's concerning with Anthony Walker out in the playoffs. They can lean on Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Tony Fields but if anyone misses time, it could be a problem.