Browns Digest

Browns Defense Receives Favorable Rating From Football Analyst

See where Cleveland's defensive front seven ends up on Warren Sharp's list

Spencer German

Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) and defensive end Alex Wright (91) celebrate after a tackle during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) and defensive end Alex Wright (91) celebrate after a tackle during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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Cleveland finished the 2023 season with the No. 1 defense in football in terms of yards allowed thanks in large part to a dominant pass rush. Coupled with a revamped linebacker group that also includes one of the best young players in the game, the Browns front seven looks to be a catalyst for similar success once again this season.

It all starts with Myles Garrett who is fresh off of winning the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. But players like veteran Za'Darius Smith and linebackerJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah make for an explosive collection of talent on multiple levels of the defense.

NFL analyst Warren Sharp isn't sleeping on the Browns first too levels of the defense. In a recent ranking of the league's top front sevens in football Sharp ranked the Browns No. 1 overall.

His explanation:

Myles Garrett and the impressive depth around him led to Cleveland’s front seven landing in the top two on every ballot. The unit generated pressure in 2.5 seconds or less at the league’s second-best rate last year (34%).

The depth that Sharp eludes to includes solid D-line talents like Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst and offseason addition Quinton Jefferson. In the middle of the defense Owusu-Koramoah is a player on the rise at outside linebacker and is one of the next players in line for an extension with Cleveland.

Alongside JOK the Browns also added nine-year veteran Jordan Hicks to hold down the pivotal middle linebacker spot. On the other side of Hicks is former Steelers first-round pick Devin Bush looking for a bit of a career revival. If things go as Sharp is projecting for the Browns front seven anchored by Garrett, it will be another season of dominance for Cleveland's defense.

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Spencer German

SPENCER GERMAN

Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland. Despite being a Cleveland transplant, Spencer has enjoyed making Northeast Ohio home ever since he attended college locally at John Carroll University, where he graduated in 2013.

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