Browns Digest

Why Maurice Hurst is an Underrated Browns Signing

Maurice Hurst hasn't been healthy for almost two full seasons, but when he is, he's quietly been one of the top interior pass rushers in the NFL. If Hurst has fully recovered from his 2022 bicep tear, he could be a huge asset for the Cleveland Browns defense in 2023.

Matthew Wilson

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Cleveland has undoubtedly added talent to its front four over the past two weeks, which is precisely what needed to happen. It's no secret that the Browns had one of the worst defensive tackle groups in the entire league in 2022. The signing of Maurice Hurst is seemingly flying under the radar.

Hurst was highly regarded throughout the 2018 draft process but fell to the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round due to a heart condition that was discovered right before the draft. He was cleared to play football again three weeks after this diagnosis, but teams were still wary on draft day.

He quickly became an impact pass rusher from day one in Oakland. Hurst had 18 total quarterback pressures in 2018, 38 in 2019, and 22 in 2020 all while playing just 56% of defensive snaps or less. His best overall season was in 2019 when he had a pass rushing grade of 77.8, which was 10th best in the NFL. He also has an average win rate of 11.1 percent in these three seasons which ranked 31st amongst defensive tackles

Hurst has an incredible motor, constant leg drive, and a strong upper body that gives him an advantage over his opponent. He is consistent on a snap-to-snap basis in terms of get off, pad level, and hand usage. His most effective move is a two-hand swipe that frequently negates opposing lineman's punches and knocks them off balance. As soon as they lose balance, he's able to swim or rip through and pressure the quarterback.

As long as he's able to swipe the hands off, his continuous leg movement also makes it extremely hard for the opponent to recover and re-set on him. Constant leg movement while hand fighting is a surprisingly undervalued trait when it comes to defensive lineman. When pass rushers perform specific types of moves, they sometimes fail because they start to hop or stop moving their feet in the middle of the move.

Due to his injury problems throughout the past two seasons, Cleveland was able to sign him to a one-year contract that he could easily outplay in 2023. If he ends up playing well this upcoming season, he could also be a somewhat inexpensive extension candidate.

Hurst is an excellent fit for Jim Schwartz's defense at 3-Technique, and should immediately battle for consistent playing time. As long as he's healthy, there's a decent chance that he'll return to the same type of superb pass rusher that he was pre-2021.

Maurice Hurst is the epitome of a low-risk, high-reward signing.

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Matthew Wilson
MATTHEW WILSON

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