Where Browns' defense ranks in NFL following 2024 Draft
Where Browns’ defense ranks in NFL following 2024 Draft
The Browns finished the 2023 season with an elite defense. Led by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and edge rusher Myles Garrett, Cleveland allowed the fewest passing yards, fewest total yards, fewest first downs and the 13-fewest points.
This is how the Browns were able to win 11 games and make the playoffs despite instability at quarterback and plenty of injuries. Players like Garrett, Z’Darius Smith, Denzel Ward and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah played instrumental roles in Cleveland’s rise in the AFC, and that collection will undoubtedly keep the Browns afloat in the competitive AFC North again in 2024.
The Browns made moves to shore up the defense this offseason as well. the team locked re-signed Smith, added linebackers Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush and signed defensive tackles Quinton Jefferson and Shelby Harris. Then, Cleveland drafted defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. in the second round and linebacker Nathaniel Watson in the sixth.
BROWNS 2024 NFL DRAFT: Expert grades | Superlatives
But was that enough to keep the Browns among the NFL’s elite defense? Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine’s took a look.
Where Browns’ defense ranks in NFL following 2024 Draft
Among all 32 NFL teams, the Browns ranked first on Ballentine’s board. The main reason? They still have the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year under contract in Garrett. More than that, though, is Cleveland’s top-rated defensive Expected Points Added per play and yards allowed per play.
“The offseason has done nothing to cause doubt that they’ll be great again,” Ballentine wrote. “The unit will be under Jim Schwartz for the second season so there should be more familiarity with his system.”
The Browns can improve in 2024, though. Ballentine wrote that Cleveland couldn’t stop teams in the redzone. Opponents touchdowns more than 70% of the time in the redzone and the Browns ranked in the middle of the league in stopping the run. The additions of Hall, Jefferson and Harris will likely help mitigate that for 2024.