Stats Confirm The Browns Have The Best CB Trio In The NFL

Even casual NFL fans can appreciate Myles Garrett and the rest of the Cleveland Browns’ front four.

And the Dawg Pound has seen their linebackers and safeties make splash plays week after week, too.

But things don’t get any easier for Cleveland opponents if they try to push the ball over or around those players.

Next Gen Stats points out the Browns’ most dominant defensive group resides in the cornerback room.

Cleveland not only has the best pair of outside corners in the NFL.

But their slot corner also ranks among the top 4 cornerbacks in the league when it comes to pass coverage.

Denzel Ward (66.7), Greg Newsome (66.7), and Martin Emerson (67.7) hold Next Gen’s top 3 coverage success rates.

Chicago’s Jaylen Johnson sneaks into a 3-way tie with Ward and Emerson.

As with most advanced metrics, coverage success entails more than defending passes.

It takes into account the success rate of catches against the corners, considering the results of the catch.

One reason the Browns lead the league in 3-and-outs is the corners’ ability to limit yardage, if not receptions.

If a corner stops a receiver after a third-down catch before he converts the first down, it is a successful coverage.

Likewise, any catch that comes up short of the perceived “success rate” for the offense is a defensive win.

Offensive coordinators know they are throwing into a spider web if they challenge the Browns’ secondary.

As Next Gen Stats also points out, that helps the Browns hold opponents to a league-best (-)157 EPA.

Tags: Cleveland Browns NEWS