DL no longer strength

When the Browns began the 2020 season, it was generally agreed the strength of the defense resided up front. Iffy at linebacker, uncertain at cornerback except for Denzel Ward and cross your fingers at safety.

After that side of the football regurgitated points at an alarming pace throughout the season, that certainly proved to be the case, And then General Manager Andrew Berry went to work.

This season, the strength of the defense lies not with those dudes up front, but behind them. More on that in a bit.

The back seven, at least on paper, will be markedly better with the addition of safeties John Johnson III and Grant Delpit, who missed all last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon; slot cornerback Troy Hill; rookie corner Greg Newsome and Greedy Williams, who missed last season with shoulder nerve damage; and linebackers Anthony Walker and rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The same cannot be said about the defensive line, defensive tackle in particular. It is now the weakest element of the group in charge of preventing the opposition from scoring and keeping leads provided by the offense safe.

Myles Garrett, of course, is a stickout on the edge. The only problem there? He is the only stickout. The addition of the highly overrated Jadeveon Clowney and underachiever Takkarist McKinley will not help. Neither man is Olivier Vernon, whose valuable contributions last season will be sorely missed.

Tackle is even worse. Not even arguably the worst single unit on that side of the ball. Only one of the eight candidates -- half will make the final roster -- suited up for the Browns last season. ONE!! Let that sink in.

Jordan Elliott, a third-round draft pick last season, is the lone returnee at tackle. Gone are Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi, who ate up 74% and 60% of the 1,078 2020 snaps, respectively. Their absence will be felt all season.

Elliott started only one game, played just 307 snaps, or 28.47%, and received mixed reviews. He banked only 15 tackles (six solo) with no sacks, tackles for loss or quarterback hits. He is expected to seriously challenge for a starting role, especially since it's wide-open with Richardson and Ogunjobi elsewhere.

Newcomers include Andrew Billings, a COVID-19 opt out last season; Sheldon Day; Damion Square; fourth-round draft pick Tommy Togiai from Ohio State; nine-year veteran Malik Jackson; undrafted rookie Marvin Wilson; and Malik McDowell.

McDowell arrives with off-the-field baggage. He was initially drafted in the second round by Seattle in 2017, but never played a snap. He was injured in an ATV accident, ultimately released by the Seahawks, tried out with Miami and had subsequent numerous run-ins with the law.

"We are aware of Malik's past," said Berry. "We believe he is now in a good place personally. He is committed to taking advantage of the support network in place to become the best version of himself . . . and we will support him as he attempts to make his return to football." In other words, a gamble.

Wilson a projected third-rounder this year, dropped out of sight in the lottery and then the Browns pounced, giving him a $30,000 signing bonus and a $163,000 guaranteed base salary. They apparently envision the 2018-2019 version of Wilson, whose solid play portended a high pick this year.

He for whatever reason was a totally different player this past season. Pro scouts soured on him as he consistently failed to produce. He became an afterthought all the way to free agency. Another second chance project (and another Berry gamble) for defensive coordinator Rod Woods.

Billings, signed as a free agent last year, and Jackson, who has played with Denver, Jacksonville and Philadelphia, most likely will get the most of the reps this season unless one of the younger hopefuls such as Elliott, Togiai or McDowell step up in training camp and take the job.

Cohesion is a big factor along the line, especially in the run game, knowing exactly what the other guy is going to do in a given situation. With so many newcomers at tackle, it might take some time before the inside portion of this unit achieves that cohesion.