Tag Archives: Perrion Winfrey

Browns defensive failure not surprising

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The Cleveland Browns defense has been a complete failure this season and it should not be a surprise to anyone.

Five weeks into the 2022 season and the defense of the Cleveland Browns has been a complete disaster. A unit that some (wrongly) expected to carry the team until Deshaun Watson makes his team debut has been one of the worst in the league. Considering the construction and utilization of this defense this is far from a surprise.

The elephant in the room

Yes, Joe Woods. Three years in and the defense of Woods is worse than ever. Cleveland has given up 440 yards on the ground in the last two games, including over 200 to one of the worst rushing attacks in the league (Chargers). Time and time again there are missed assignments resulting in big plays and teammates blaming each other. Missed tackles are also an issue as they are one of the worst in this department currently.

In addition to the defense being needlessly complicated, the scheme is antiquated and archaic. Versions of this scheme have been successful in Seattle and San Francisco, but the talent level was far better than what the Browns currently possess.

Cleveland’s defense has some quality pieces, but they are not at the same level of what Seattle featured in their Legion of Boom era or what San Francisco did later. This is a failure on Woods to adjust his scheme to the talent on the roster and also a failure from the front office to provide quality players.

Botched process from front office

The front office of the Cleveland Browns has not addressed the defensive side of the ball in an adequate manner. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney were neutralized in Sunday’s loss and the expectation should be for that to continue. Cleveland has nobody that can pull their weight at the defensive tackle position and that appears by design. The Browns have essentially actively downgraded this part of the defense by not bringing in adequate players.

Cleveland’s defense in 2020 had Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi anchoring the middle with Garrett and Olivier Vernon on the outside. This version of the defense was so much more impactful than the next two iterations. Attempting to swap out the middle for Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell was not a fruitful endeavor. Both are now gone (for good reason) and at this juncture feature who are below replacement level. Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai, Taven Bryan, and Perrion Winfrey are Cleveland’s defensive tackles this year and this is far from acceptable. The result from all of this? A defensive interior which cannot create pressure or even hold their ground.

While freeze-frames can be incredibly deceiving this is not the case here. This has not been a rare occurrence and has happened repeatedly through the first five weeks. Expect more teams to expose this very obvious weakness in the Browns defensive front until something major changes. Adding Deion Jones from Atlanta is a good start, but it is merely scratching the surface in terms of fixing the defense.

What can be done?

The only in season changes that can be made are adding help at defensive tackle or firing Woods. Both are absolutely necessary, but adding a defensive tackle or two seems more likely at this point. Despite the struggles of this side of the ball it does not appear that they will move on from Woods any time soon.

The only real band-aid that can be applied at this time appears to be Woods tailoring his scheme to match the talent and skillset of his players. Unfortunately that does not appear likely as the team has struggled into year three of his system with familiar struggles on a weekly basis. Expect more of the same unless a change of heart happens from Woods or those above him.

What about after the season?

The hope is to find a defensive coordinator who knows how to coach his players and not just a scheme. In addition to getting a new coordinator, Cleveland must address the center of their defense. As long as the Browns do not have a defensive interior they do not have a defense. That means utilizing sizable capital on middle linebackers and defensive tackles, something that this front office has shied away from for some bizarre reason. Adding NFL caliber players in these areas is absolutely mandatory if they want to become at least an average unit.

Examining the Browns defensive line

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Coming out of last season there were some serious questions that needed to be asked about the defensive line of Cleveland Browns. Impressive performances from some members of their line were able to boost the overall performance of the unit. Others, interior players specifically, were rather forgettable as Cleveland’s defensive tackle play was some of the worst in all of football. To be blunt, changes needed to be made if this unit to improve.

The team made some decisions to alter the group through multiple means, but where do things stand now?

Cleveland came into the offseason with needing to add to a group featuring Myles Garrett in addition to Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai, and Sheldon Day. The Browns moved on from Malik Jackson, Malik McDowell, Takk McKinley, and Porter Gustin after the season. Jadeveon Clowney did his usual wait and see for a long-term contract in free agency that never comes routine and was no guarantee to return. Cleveland had their work head of them with this roster shuffling that took place.

In need to replace McKinley, Cleveland sent Mack Wilson to New England in exchange for Chase Winovich. Winovich sliding into the role that McKinley played last season is the obvious play here as they lack anyone with that type of skillset on the roster.

The Browns took a one-year flier contract on Taven Bryan. Bryan never exceed 50% of snaps during his four years in Jacksonville. As a buy-low option for their defensive line it is hard to complain about.

Clowney eventually decided on a team and returned to the Cleveland Browns. It was bounce back year for Clowney posting numbers that he has not seen in years. Concerns about repeatability and health more than likely hindered his actual free agent market despite claims he turned down more money to return to Cleveland.

The draft saw Cleveland select Perrion Winfrey, Alex Wright, and Isaiah Thomas. This gives the Browns several young cost controlled options to insert into the rotation. While they could be productive players, it is more than likely going to take time before their true impact is felt.

What’s next?

The Browns managed to make some moves which should put them in a better position now than what could have been imagined when the offseason began. That being said this team still lacks consistent interior pressure. It is rather unlikely that the current group is able to produce the type of pressure necessary in order to be effective. Even though the current regime has seemingly avoided addressing the defensive tackle position with any sort of urgency, there is still a player available who could bolster their defensive tackle play while at the same time creating chaos up front with another agent of chaos (Clowney).

Ndamukong Suh.

Suh is far from the player he was in Detroit at this point in his career, but he can still make a difference in moderation. Snap counts have dropped over his last four seasons, but has still managed to be impactful in his mid-30’s. In Cleveland Suh would not even have to play the 63% of snaps to make plays when on a line with Garrett and Clowney. Moving Clowney inside to join forces and create a giant cluster of chaos in the middle of an offensive line would make things easier for Garrett, Winovich, or any player on the edge to make a play.

What it all comes down to is interior pressure and the Browns lack it. Defensive tackle play is hardly sexy while pass rushers get all the glory and understandably so. Even still, the ability to mess things up from the middle of an offensive set is something that never goes out of style. Improving this area would take the Browns from average to good and maybe even great. It does not have to be with Suh, but rolling with their current group is not an advisable course of action.

Browns rookie numbers revealed

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The suspense is over for anyone waiting for the numbers of the incoming Cleveland Browns draft class to become known.

Does not mean a whole lot at this time except for those who are incredibly antsy to buy a new Browns jersey. Rookies could still choose new numbers as others become available over the summer.

Browns add depth options in third day of draft

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The Cleveland Browns entered day three of the NFL Draft poised to build upon their strong start. Selecting Martin Emerson, Alex Wright, and David Bell on day two provided a solid base for Andrew Berry and Co. to add to.

Perrion Winfrey 108th overall

Addressing the interior defensive line was a must for the Browns this offseason. The experiment with the Malik’s (Malik McDowell, Malik Jackson) was a complete failure. Adding Perrion Winfrey to the middle of their line is a step in the direction. Winfrey joins a group which features Tommy Togiai, Jordan Elliott, Sheldon Day, and Taven Bryan. The newly added rookie should compete for and win a starting spot.

Cade York 124th overall

Drafting a kicker is rarely considered to be a wise decision. Cleveland decided to go against the grain anyway and draft LSU’s Cade York in the fourth round. Is this a reach? Maybe. But to be blunt he Browns have needed a kicker since Phil Dawson left and he last played for the team in 2012.

Jerome Ford 156th overall

The selection of Jerome Ford in the fifth round provides some intrigue. Cleveland has Nick Chubb signed to an extension with Kareem Hunt having one year left on his deal and D’Ernest Johnson being a restricted free agent. Perhaps a succession plan for one of, if not both Hunt and Johnson is being put together with this selection.

Michael Woods II 202nd overall

After drafting a receiver in David Bell the day before, Cleveland drafts another the next day with Michael Woods II. Woods II should be able to find a way to carve out a role and playing time with the Browns lacking receiver depth.

Isaiah Thomas 223rd overall

Just like the Browns needed help on the inside, they added more help on the outside. Thomas will be the second rookie edge rusher on this team as they drafted Wright in the third round. Cleveland appears to have their contingency plan in place should Jadeveon Clowney not return.

Dawson Deaton 246th overall

If there is anything that can be taken away from last season is that you can never have enough offensive lineman. After letting JC Tretter go earlier this offseason, Cleveland needed to add some younger and cheaper lineman into the mix. Deaton could be a practice squad candidate with Nick Harris and Ethan Pocic occupying the starting and backup center roles.