Jordan Elliott needs to step it up in 2023

There is a group of players on the 2023 Cleveland Browns who need to prove their worth in the upcoming season and that includes Jordan Elliott. Elliott has not quite lived up to expectations after being drafted in the 3rd round the 2020 NFL Draft. Expected to play a meaningful role on Cleveland’s defensive interior, it just has not come together yet and the pressure is on Elliott to start playing better.

In 49 career games Elliott has 77 total tackles, 35 of which were of the solo variety. It took until year three for Elliott to register a tackle for loss, making five such tackles last season. The encouraging aspect is that as Elliott’s playing time has increased, going from 29% of snaps as a rookie to 44% in year two and 65% last season, total pressures and sacks have increased. Elliott had zero sacks as a rookie and just three pressures. In his last two seasons those numbers have increased to 0.5 sacks in 2021 to 2.0 in 2022 and five pressures to eight last season. There are encouraging signs, but he still has to put it all together.

Cleveland’s front office is very aware of the shortcomings of the defensive interior. After actively dismantling this group since taking over, Andrew Berry and co. finally addressed the defensive front in an adequate manner. The Browns added Dalvin Tomlinson, Za’Darius Smith, and Ogobonnia Okoronkwo to their current group which also features one of the best pass rushers in the league in Myles Garrett. If Elliott is unable to produce when the talent around him is the best it has been during his time with the Browns it will be a clear indicator to move on and look for someone else to take his place.