Two years ago, the Cleveland Browns hired one of the best defensive coordinators available.
They also spent most of their resources to make sure that the unit was on point.
It didn’t take long before they proved to be onto something special, as they had one of the best defenses in the NFL with Jim Schwartz in charge.
The Browns were utterly dominant at home, and though they weren’t as solid on the road, they were still a formidable unit.
Unfortunately, despite most of the players returning last season, they didn’t fare as well.
That’s why Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports believes the Browns’ defense is in for a bounce-back season, as last year’s struggles may have been related to the team’s lack of consistent offense.
“Defensive success is historically isn’t guaranteed to carry over from year to year, but the Browns going from second in DVOA in 2023 to 25th last season despite returning most of the lineup is hard to explain. Getting no support at all from the offense couldn’t have helped. The Browns defense seems much more likely to be in the top 10 of the NFL this season than the bottom 10,” Schwab wrote.
Granted, the Browns’ offensive outlook isn’t necessarily much better this season, as there are still major questions at wide receiver and quarterback.
However, they have talent on defense, and added promising and NFL-ready rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger in the 2025 NFL Draft.
A defense can only do so much when its offense doesn’t play well, and that’s going to be a concern for the Browns.
But even if they don’t score 30 points per game or pile up 500 yards of offense on a weekly basis, the defense should be able to force turnovers, get stops and put the Browns in a position to win.
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