The Browns’ Run Defense Is No Longer Their Achilles Heel
Photo Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Today’s pass-first NFL is typified by quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, who sling the ball for hundreds of yards a game, torching opposing teams’ secondaries. But even in the era of pass-happy offenses, a strong rushing attack can still prove lethal when a team knows how to run the ball properly.
Last year it seemed as though every team was a rushing threat against the Cleveland Browns’ defense. They finished 24th in rushing yards allowed per game with 135. The Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers both ran for over 200 yards against the Browns’ defense last season, and the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins almost reached that mark when they ran for 195 and 198 yards, respectively.
Cleveland made several off-season acquisitions on the defensive line in hopes of improving their abysmal run defense. They also brought in Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. How will Schwartz and the new guys up front help improve the team’s run defense?
Schwartz has worked for several organizations during his coaching career: as defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2001-2008, the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-2013, and the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-2020. He stepped down before the 2021 season, citing health issues, but is back in the league as the Browns’ DC.
Fun fact: Schwartz was part of the Browns’ staff way before he became the defensive coordinator in 2023, as he served as a personal scout for Cleveland from 1993-1995.
Schwartz’s most important tenure on any team comes from his time as an Eagle, when in 2017 the team won their first Super Bowl. That year, Schwartz’s defense ranked fourth in yards allowed per game, at 306.5. What Browns fans should really get excited about isn’t just that No. 4-overall defense but, specifically, the Eagles’ run defense.
That same year, Schwartz’s defense finished first overall against the run, allowing only 79.2 rushing yards per game. That’s a 55.8 yards per game difference than the Browns had last season. From 2016-2020, opponents rushed for an average of only 99 yards per game against Schwartz’s defense. If you look at 2022’s numbers, that would result in a fourth-place run defense behind the Titans, 49ers, and Ravens.
Schwartz will no doubt help improve the Browns run defense – the proof is in the numbers – but in order to build an amazing run defense you have to have amazing defenders, which is where the big three off-season acquisitions come in. Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Ogbo Okoronkwo are all key new pieces that allow Schwartz to improve the defensive line.
Smith, who was traded from the Minnesota Vikings, has been the big talking point among fans ever since his acquisitions, especially given Jadeveon Clowney’s departure. Smith not only provides a right-hand man to the leader of the defense, Myles Garrett, but he will also be used as more than just a defensive end; Schwartz may put him on a rotation of two in which he is lined up on the inside, standing up like a linebacker.
Last season, Smith sacked the QB 10 times and notched 44 tackles, 15 of them being tackles for loss. He will be a welcome addition for not only the Browns’ run defense but the pass rush as well.
DT Dalvin Tomlinson, also acquired from a trade via the Vikings, is going to be nothing short of a brick wall for running backs and dual-threat QBs alike. His 6’3”, 324 lb. frame will be a major asset for Schwartz. The 29-year-old has been in the league for six years, accumulating 13 sacks and 288 tackles over that time.
Tomlinson recorded 42 tackles, with only 2.5 sacks. This low number is understandable however, considering Tomlinson’s primary job is to stop running plays.
Last but not least – and there definitely is not a least with these three players – is Okoronkwo. This addition by the Browns, who they swiped from the Houston Texans, is going somewhat under the radar for both Browns fans analysts league-wide. Okoronkwo got off to a very slow start last season, as he only had 12 tackles to match just half a sack over seven games.
In the latter half of the season, Okoronkwo started to pick up the pace. In the remaining eight games he played, Okoronkwo posted 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks. If he can keep this production rolling into the 2023 season, the Browns may have gotten one of the best defensive linemen in free agency.
All these new D-linemen, mixed with the already proven Garrett, are going to make running against this new defensive line a whole lot harder. The improved run defense is undoubtedly going to help fix the headache that is division rival Lamar Jackson, who always seems to torch the Browns’ defense on the ground.
Schwartz was the coordinator the Browns needed to fix many of the mistakes on the defense, especially the line. His 30-year tenure in the NFL and Super Bowl experience, mixed with the off-season additions on the D-line and Garrett, should get many fans excited to see the Browns’ run defense, and the defensive line as a whole, standing tall in the top of rankings next season.
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