Browns Offense Grabs Headlines, but Defense Needs Improvements

While much attention is being paid to the Cleveland Browns' many needs on offense this offseason, the defense is being mostly ignored. Though the Browns do require help on offense, from quarterback on down, the defense requires upgrades as well.

The Browns defense ranked 22nd in average yards per game allowed, at 366.1. Though ranking a respectable 11th in passing yards allowed, at 224.5, it ranked last in the league in rushing yards allowed, at 141.6. It's this rushing yardage given up that is the biggest concern for the Browns heading into the 2015 season.

The contrast between the Browns secondary and the front seven is glaring. Football Outsiders ranked the Browns defense 12th overall for the 2014 season. It was the second-best defense against the pass, but 31st in run defense.

Pro Football Focus also acknowledged the disparity, giving the defense as a whole a plus-23.8 grade, the pass coverage a plus-45.1, while the pass-rush received a negative-10.3 grade and the run defense a negative-11.8 grade.

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Simply put, the front seven is neither stopping the run effectively enough nor getting to opposing quarterbacks often enough. The Browns had just 31 team sacks in 2014, and it's no coincidence that this coincided with their inability to stop the run. The Browns' first point of attack on defense, regardless of the play, must be upgraded.

Fixing the front seven isn't going to magically happen with the addition (or subtraction) of just one or two players. In fact, this has been an ongoing problem, especially where run defense is concerned.

According to TeamRankings.com, in the past decade the Browns have never ranked higher than 18th in average opposing rushing yardage per game. In fact, the Browns have been in the bottom-five in the league in rush defense for the majority of the past 10 years.

The biggest culprit in 2014 was nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin. Rubin had Pro Football Focus' worst run-defense grade among Browns defenders and the third-worst grade as a pass-rusher. He's followed by four other members of the defensive line, all defensive ends: Billy Winn, Phil Taylor, Desmond Bryant and Sione Fua.

Year	Opp. Rush YPG	Rank
2005	138.4	31st
2006	142.2	29th
2007	129.5	27th
2008	151.9	28th
2009	144.6	28th
2010	129.4	26th
2011	147.4	30th
2012	118.6	18th
2013	111.3	18th
2014	141.6	32nd

In the Browns' favor is Rubin's status as an unrestricted free agent who may not return. However, just replacing Rubin with a promising rookie like Arik Armstead, Eddie Goldman or even Danny Shelton isn't going to fix Cleveland's issues on defense. 

It's clear, by the Browns' constant struggles up front, that this is a systemic problem. It transcends coaching staffs and schemes. Turnover on the coaching side certainly hasn't helped—the Browns currently have defensive players who have gone from a 3-4 base to a 4-3 and back again, switching assignments on what has at times been a yearly basis—but it is astounding just how pervasive the Browns' issues on the front seven have been.

Mike Pettine's and Jim O'Neil's defense has had only one season to take hold, and it's possible there will be improvement with another season of continuity. But it's hard to forget what Pettine and O'Neil did together in just one year in Buffalo, turning the Bills' defense into one of the league's best seemingly overnight. That decidedly did not come to pass in Cleveland in 2014.

The Browns aren't going to be able to completely rebuild the front seven this offseason, if owner Jimmy Haslam's comments are any indication. Haslam said last week that the Browns "plan on building through the draft," rather than free agency, despite the Browns having a projected $48.7 million in salary-cap space this year.

Cleveland has 10 picks in this year's draft. Even if they somehow opted to concentrate the majority of them on defense, that doesn't mean they can solve their problems. The Browns would be lucky to have two or three rookies starting on defense in their first year; more than likely, they will be building a base of young depth rather than a completely new-look defensive line or linebacking corps.

So while it's safe to assume that the Browns will attempt to make a few defensive positional upgrades via the draft, bringing in veteran players from the outside isn't a priority this year. They will have to make do with the players held over from 2014 and expect an improvement—a strategy that hasn't paid major dividends for the Browns in recent memory.

Their defense will never fulfill Pettine's and O'Neil's visions without committing to drastic, sweeping improvements. However, those sweeping changes may not come to pass this year. Therefore the Browns have no choice but to be successful in the draft when it comes to the defensive players they select. Otherwise, the fate of Cleveland's defense has already been determined.