Myles Garrett is the Cleveland Browns all-time sack leader and he's been doing a lot of heavy lifting on his own. This past season, for example, he recorded 16 sacks on the year which tied his personal best — which is also a franchise high.
Beyond his performance, there was almost no production at all when it came to getting after the quarterback. Taven Bryan finished second on the team with three sacks and then Deion Jones came in with 2.5. In all, the Browns had 34 sacks, so Garrett gave them nearly 50 percent of their total on the year.
That should change in 2023 thanks to a couple of key additions from general manager Andrew Berry. He brought in Za'Darius Smith via trade and Ogbo Okoronkwo in free agency. Each is expected to make a major impact but the only question now is how to make sure they all get the snaps they need — while also working in Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright.
Thankfully, Jim Schwartz is in place to take on this problem — which, by the way, isn't really a problem at all. Schwartz unveiled a lineup during minicamp that included Garrett and Okoronkwo on the edge with Smith lined up at defensive tackle with Dalvin Tomlinson.
In early 11 on 11 period #Browns have Myles Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo on the outside, Za’Darius Smith on the inside next to Dalvin Tomlinson. pic.twitter.com/Zb4Sw3eOjI
— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) June 6, 2023
Smith, who has typically been an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, has the size to play inside at 6-foot-4 and 272-pounds. Garrett is also above 270 pounds, as is Alex Wright. That means Schwartz could have a package that moves any of those three players around — giving opposing offenses one more wrinkle to have to worry about.
Schwartz, who won a Super Bowl in 2017 with the Eagles, is in his first season with the Browns as defensive coordinator. He's going to be tasked with improving a frustratingly bad defense and has the talent to do just that. He also clearly has a plan to get all that talent on the field at the same time.