Myles Garrett is going to be the defender to watch for the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Whether or not he gets traded will be huge for Cleveland's future, and huge for the rest of their defensive line. While they have talent outside of Garrett, nobody is Garrett, nor on his level defensively.
So, how does the rest of the line shape up at the moment?
Edge Defender
The Browns head into the offseason with the following edge defenders still under contract: Garrett, Isaiah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, and Cameron Thomas.
Garrett's career has been nothing short of every superlative you can throw at him - dazzling, historic, legendary - you name it, he's exceeded it. As we all know now, the Browns' ineptitude has led the superstar to the brink, as he publicized a trade request on February 3. It is anyone's guess whether Myles will be back next season. That's as far as off the field goes.
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On the field, Garrett was still his dominant self. Pro Football Focus ranked him the #2 edge defender (out of 119) for his body of work in 2024. The counting stats were impressive as well: 47 tackles, 22 tackles-for-loss, 14.0 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles en route to another All Pro season. This is a Hall of Fame player in his prime - the Browns cannot afford to let him go.
The rest of the group is a bit more unproven. McGuire played 43% of the defensive snaps last season, and despite the modest statistics: 36 tackles, 8 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles - he is a PFF darling. McGuire's performance this season culminated in being ranked the 13th edge defender for the 2024 season. If his trajectory continues, expect him to make a gigantic leap next season.
Okoronkwo struggled mightily this season - while he had 3.0 sacks on the year - PFF rated him as the 116th edge defender in 2024. Don't expect the Browns to move on from him this offseason either - as they would lose cap space by releasing him before June 1st.
Wright (1.0 sack) is coming off a torn triceps suffered in Week 4, in what was supposed to be a jeap year after he had 5.0 sacks in 2023. Thomas was traded to the Chiefs before the regular season kicked off last year, he was subsequently released and claimed by the Browns. He had 1.0 sack in limited playing time.
James Houston is an exclusive rights free agent, which allows the Browns to retain him cheaply if they wish to do so.
This position group is in need of an influx of talent, and if there was any takeaway from the Eagles' Super Bowl victory that can apply to the Browns: it's the extreme significance of pass rush to team success. The Browns could certainly benefit from a high draft choice to complement Garrett and McGuire - and the need reaches a fever pitch if the Browns make the mistake of shipping Garrett out of town.
Defensive Tackles
The leading snap getters on the interior D-Line for the Browns in 2024 were Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. PFF gave good marks to each of them as Tomlinson (32nd) and Harris (35th) were ranked in the upper third of the league for their position group.
Tomlinson finished the season with 26 tackles, 6 tackles-for-loss, and 3.0 sacks. Harris' 2024 was summed up with 37 tackles, 5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks. Solid numbers for a solid duo that will likely anchor the Browns run defense in 2025.
As far as the reserves, Sam Kamara, Michael Hall Jr., and Jowon Briggs are under contract for the upcoming season. Hall ended up with 14 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack, in his shortened season that was marred by suspension as well as injuries.
The Browns thought highly enough of him to draft him in the 2nd round in last year's draft. Moving on from off-field issues and better injury luck will give a much fuller picture of what Hall will be in the NFL.
Kamara had a prominent role on defense, playing more than 25% of the snaps in 2024. Briggs, a 7th round pick from last year's draft, didn't make the team coming out of training camp. He was added to the active roster in December and ended up playing in 6 games, racking up 13 tackles and 1 tackle-for-loss.
Ralph Holley was signed to a futures contract following the season. Maurice Hurst will be an unrestricted free agent, and Michael Dwumfour will be an exclusive rights free agent.
The projected starters for the Browns on the defensive interior are both beyond the proverbial cliff - the age of 30. They already invested in this position in the draft last year, but that shouldn't preclude them from doing so again this year. Don't be surprised if the Browns make significant additions along the defensive line this coming offseason.