The Browns Glaring Weakness on Defense
In the past two games, the Cleveland Browns defense has largely held their AFC North opponents in check, but there is one issue they have not solved.
The Cleveland Browns have the best defense in the NFL, but in recent weeks, they’ve shown a problematic vulnerability. They have not done well defending short, speedy athletic running backs as illustrated by Keaton Mitchell against the Baltimore Ravens and Jaylen Warren for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The good news is those teams stopped giving those threats the ball, but upcoming teams on their schedule may not be as accommodating.
Keaton Mitchell had four touches for 66 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t touch the ball the entire second half. Harbaugh was asked about it after the game.
In a game the Browns won 33-31, Mitchell averaged 16.5 yards per touch. The rest of the Ravens offense averaged 5.4 on 44 offensive plays, gaining a total of 240 yards.
Then against the Steelers, Jaylen Warren looked capable of causing similar problems as Mitchell had. Those concerns were well founded as Warren touched the ball 12 times, producing 145 yards and a touchdown. That score came courtesy of a 74-yard run by Warren on the second play of the third quarter.
Warren averaged 12 yards per touch in the game. The rest of the Steelers’ offense produced 104 total yards in 45 plays, an average of just 2.3 yards per play. In a game where the game came down to the wire, the Steelers stopped using their most dangerous player.
The combination of Warren and Mitchell averaged 13.1 yards per touch in the past two games against the Browns’ defense. Doing anything else on offense produced just 3.8.
Players like Mitchell and Warren are challenging to defend. Boating a low center of gravity, enough strength to run through arm tackles, and the speed to go all the way, it forces defenders to take care of the little things in terms of making the tackle. Particularly when one defender is tasked with making the play, there’s little room for error. Defenders hate them.
The Browns’ defense can naturally create some lanes for them to exploit. The Ravens were able to parry the Browns defensive front long enough to provide a huge crease for Mitchell, who ran for a touchdown against their man coverage. Both Mitchell and Warren were able to find success against the Browns in the screen game. And Warren’s touchdown came down to making the one player who had to make the tackle, corner Greg Newsome II, miss.
AFC North opponents may have stopped giving these players the ball before the Browns’ defense proved they could stop them, but upcoming opponents may not be charitable, something that could start with the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have three running backs that contribute to their offense. Javonte William and Samaje Perine are bigger backs, not unlike Najee Harris. They also have Jaleel McLaughlin, an undrafted free agent who played college locally at Youngstown State.
McLaughlin is listed as 5’7″ and 187 pounds. In only 45 carries this season, McLaughlin has four explosive runs, more than the rest of the team combined. He hasn’t been as impactful as a receiver but has caught 19 passes for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 22 of those receiving yards came on one play.
Nevertheless, McLaughlin shouldn’t be taken lightly as a runner or pass catcher. Perine has been the more dynamic receiving threat out of the backfield for the Broncos, third on the team in receiving yardage this season with 326. With receivers like Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and rookie Marvin Mims (if they actually use him), that has the potential to spread the field and create space for McLaughlin or Perine to give the Browns problems.
The Browns have to find a way to prevent them from gashing them throughout the game. When the Browns’ defense can get numbers to a spot, they win. They are far more vulnerable when defenders are isolated in space or they’ve committed their attack and backs find room to run with the ball. Teams are getting better at creating those situations.
One issue that has stood out is the amount of space they’ve been allowed to have. Giving them a running start has been a recipe for disaster. When the Browns have played the tighter, they’ve had a difficult time, especially in the passing game, but could help against the run as well.
With linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. likely out this week and safety Juan Thornhill a question mark, the Browns could be looking at players like rookie Ronnie Hickman and some of their linebacker depth being tasked with making the right decisions on how to defend these threats. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Grant Delpit are certainly the preferred matchups, but if they are blitzing or the Broncos can manipulate the matchup so they aren’t on them, that could prove perilous.
Regardless of how the Browns plan to deal with these types of threats, they need a more consistent answer for an opponent wise enough to keep utilizing plays and players that are working against them.
