Are Additions of Danny Shelton, Nate Orchard Enough to Fix Browns' Run Defense?

The Cleveland Browns' issues with stopping the run are among their most longstanding. Only finding a franchise quarterback has been a bigger problem for the team. It's been a struggle that has followed the team for over a decade, through coaching, ownership, front office and scheme changes.

The Browns' latest attempt to right this problem came via the 2015 NFL draft. Two of the team's first three picks were chosen to boost the defensive side of the ball, first with nose tackle Danny Shelton at No. 12 in Round 1 and then with linebacker Nate Orchard in Round 2.

This isn't the first time the Browns have added heavy-hitting defensive players at the top of the draft in order to improve their performance against the run.

They did so in 2011, taking Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard in Rounds 1 and 2. They did it again in 2006 with Kamerion Wimbley and D'Qwell Jackson. And in 2010, the Browns thought that perhaps boosting the secondary with Joe Haden and T.J. Ward would take some of the sting out of opponents' ability to run the ball by at least making it harder to pass it.

Stat	Value
Opp. Rush YPG	141.6
Opp. Rush Att/G	31.2
Opp. Rush 1st D/G	7.9
Opp. Rush TD/G	0.8
Opp. Rush Play %	44.72%
Opp. YPC	4.5

Last year, the Browns ranked last in the league in rushing yardage allowed at 141.6 yards per game on average. Teams ran the ball against them on 44.72 percent of all plays, or 31.2 times per game. They allowed 7.9 rushing first downs per game, the worst in the league, and though they only allowed just 0.8 rushing touchdowns per game, they still gave up a whopping 4.5 yards per rush.

While the run game wasn't the main source of opponents' scoring against Cleveland, it was their primary way to march down the field to get into scoring position.

The Browns were right to pick up Shelton in Round 1 and Orchard in Round 2, especially with an eye toward run-stopping as well as general improvement on the front seven.

No nose tackle prospect seemed as suited to the job of stopping the run as Shelton given not just his size, but also his skill set. And Orchard, while prized as a pass-rusher, has some upside as a run-stopper, though it is a talent he still needs to better hone.

But to think that these two players are the magic bullet that will turn the Browns' run defense fortunes around may be a bit premature. After all, the five worst Browns defenders against the run last year, according to Pro Football Focus, were all on the defensive line, and only one—Ahtyba Rubin—has moved onto another team's roster. 

Shelton may be a good enough player to elevate the on-field performance of those around him, but that's also a lot to expect from a rookie.

Orchard will help out the Browns' ability to shut down the passing game by improving the pass rush, but much like the secondary did an excellent job last year of holding opposing quarterbacks to the league's worst completion percentage, that will only provide teams with opportunities to keep running the ball and attacking Cleveland's defensive Achilles' heel.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

The Browns will continue to take a rotational approach to the defensive line, meaning that Shelton won't necessarily be involved with every play. The goal is to find the right combination of players based on the situation—expected play, down, distance—in order to maximize all available resources.

Shelton, and to a lesser extent Orchard, will be a major part of this. The Browns taking Shelton, in particular, is a good step toward minimizing the damage done by opposing running backs. But it will take improvement from his fellow defensive linemen, as well, to turn the entire defense's fortunes around.

So if the Browns' run defense takes a promising turn in 2015, Shelton and Orchard will be but a part of that effort. It's a concentrated effort, to be sure, based on the Browns' choices in the draft. But it takes an entire front seven to stop the run, not just one gigantic and promising nose tackle and his new linebacking teammate.