Browns Should Strive to Become Offense of Mismatches

The Cleveland Browns should work towards utilizing more offensive personnel that creates mismatches and spacing against opposing defenses, which could include rookie Anthony Schwartz.

Coming out of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cleveland Browns may have just discovered how problematic their offense can be in terms of creating mismatches.

As disappointing as it was for Odell Beckham Jr. to be out for the game against the Chiefs, it provided an opportunity for rookie Anthony Schwartz to become a pleasant surprise for the Browns. Schwartz is raw and it wasn't always pretty, but he made plays, getting four touches for 86 yards in his first game as a pro after missing a substantial amount of training camp and preseason with hamstring issues. Beyond his ability to generate offense, he also puts significant stress on the defense because they have to account for his Olympic level speed.

When Beckham is able to play, the question facing the coaching staff is what do they now do with Schwartz? He largely played as much as he did due to Beckham being out of the game. Do they simply make him more of a gadget player or does he continue to get a significant number of snaps because of how threatening he is? Is there a middle ground?

If the Browns embrace their ability to create mismatches, he should continue getting a significant number of offensive reps. The Browns would then have to figure out who comes off the field to accommodate putting Schwartz on it.

Against the Chiefs, the Browns biggest mismatch in the passing game was David Njoku. It's just incredibly difficult to cover a 6'4" 250 pound receiver as the Chiefs well know, having their own in Travis Kelce. Not only did Njoku make his own plays, but he created space for the entire offense, which along with Schwartz, opened up a significant amount of the field.

In 2020, when Beckham was injured, the Browns struggled to create spacing. Opposing defenses were only defending a 20-yard area of the field. Sunday, the Chiefs had to cover more than double that because of the vertical threats the Browns had at their disposal, allowing Baker Mayfield to pick them apart.

This is something the Browns should embrace. Form their offense around weapons who create mismatches as often as possible.

The Browns biggest mismatch on offense for the past three seasons has been Nick Chubb. Not only does he create opportunities for teammates, but he also stands to gain the most from the new found spacing the Browns are now able to create. Less defenders in the box to stop him on a regular basis could enable him to have the best season of his career. Defenses are forced to pick their poison. Invest more personnel in stopping the Browns running game or stay back to try to effectively cover their receiving threats.

The last player that has been a proven mismatch on the Browns offense is Kareem Hunt, though that often depends in how he's utilized. He was a productive runner against the Chiefs, but he's always more dangerous when the Browns have employed him as an adjuster; someone that lines up all over the field either by formation or as a result of pre-snap motion. Hunt is deadly in the screen game, but lining him up out in space forces defenses to determine how they will cover him. Corner? Linebacker? Safety? 

Regardless of the choice, it has consequences for the rest of the defense that the Browns can potentially exploit, which proved out against the Baltimore Ravens last year. When it was a linebacker, the Browns threw the ball to Hunt, moving the ball down the field. When they went with a corner, Hunt had a size advantage and it opened up receivers elsewhere on the field.

Whether the Browns are ready to do it now or it's something they aspire to reach over the course of the season, the most problematic personnel group the Browns can put on the field includes Beckham, Njoku, Schwartz, Chubb and Hunt in space. 

That doesn't mean that's the only personnel group they should utilize. In fact, depending on the opposing defense, adjusting the personnel to include someone like Austin Hooper to take advantage of teams that don't have size, Jarvis Landry to take advantage of teams that want to cover him with a linebacker or Donovan Peoples-Jones to get more size on the boundary, the Browns could put stress on specific matchups. The red zone would also dictate some adjustments.

Still, the offensive personnel group the Browns call home should be focused on creating mismatches and generating space, particularly between the 20's. Much will depend on the development of Schwartz and the coaching staff's willingness to consistently use Hunt in space, but starting with the Houston Texans and then over the course of the season, how head coach Kevin Stefanski evolves the offense with an eye towards the postseason, both in scheme as well as personnel, will be interesting to monitor.

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