Take this with a grain of salt, but new Browns Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams is seen as an upgrade from Ray Horton no matter how you slice it.
Whether he was in St. Louis or Los Angeles, defense was not one of the glaring weaknesses with the Rams.
In 2016, the Rams defense ranked ninth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game.
Williams is known for running a 4-3 defense, something that Ray Horton did not implement.
Based on the play of some of the Browns’ young defensive linemen and linebackers, there are encouraging signs that could point towards a promising future for Cleveland’s front seven, especially having a proven, successful defensive coordinator running the show.
Let’s take a look at which players will be part of that front seven and a few names who could be added to that group to add depth to an intriguing core.
Defensive Line
DE Emmanuel Ogbah (23) – played all 16 games after being drafted No. 32 overall in 2016. Finished his rookie season with 53 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 6.0 sacks. (contract expires 2020)
DT Danny Shelton (23) – played all 16 games in 2016 (2nd season in NFL). Finished 2016 with 49 tackles. Has not missed a game since his NFL Debut in 2015. (contract expires 2019)
DT Desmond Bryant (31) – Missed all of 2016 season with torn pectoral muscle. Prior to 2016, he recorded 6.0 sacks in 2015, 5.0 in 2014, and 3.5 in 2013. (contract expires 2018)
DE Carl Nassib (23) – Recorded 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks in 14 games in 2016 after being drafted 65th overall (3rd round). Deflected four passes. (contract expires 2020)
DE Xavier Cooper (25) – 20 tackles in 13 games in 2016 (contract expires 2019)
DE Jamie Meder (25) – 48 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 pass deflection, 1 blocked field goal, played all 16 games in 2016 (free-agent)
DE Stephen Paea (28) – 13 games, 12 tackles, 0.5 sacks in 2016 (free-agent)
From that group, it’s safe to say the Browns plan for Ogbah, Shelton, and Nassib to be staples of the defensive line for the next 3-4 years.
Bryant played well in his three seasons with the Browns prior to his injury and has one year left on his contract. If he can return close to form, that gives the Browns a solid DT to work with Shelton.
Meder and Paea should not be expensive players to re-sign and could fill in to add depth on the line. Cooper, although he has not produced what fans were hoping for, is still relatively young and has two years left on his contract.
Envisioning the Defensive Line starters
The two players on the top of most draft boards are Myles Garrett and Jonathan Allen.
Whichever way the Browns go, it could make for an imposing defensive line.
LE Ogbah DT Shelton DT Bryant RE Garrett
LE Ogbah DT Shelton DT Allen RE Nassib
That’s not even factoring in what players the Browns could sign via free-agency or draft with the No. 12 pick or later.
There’s a long list of available free-agents and we’ll leave that for another day, but the one area that would seem to make the most sense is adding a defensive tackle because of the uncertainty of Bryant’s status.
Ogbah and Garrett could be a great duo to pressure the QB. Shelton and a healthy Bryant or reliable defensive tackle to be named later could do a solid job clogging the middle.
Let’s move to the linebackers.
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