Pass rush first

Because Andrew Berry did such a terrific job last season to help make the Browns relevant again in the National Football League, the job this season won't be nearly as difficult.

Last season, it was the offense, which ultimately became one of the most dangerous in the league. This season, the general manager addressed the defense in free agency and hit the jackpot with safety John Johnson III, slot cornerback Troy Hill and inside linebacker Anthony Walker.

Right there, the Browns are better on that side of the football than last season's gift-giving team. Only fiscal common sense prevented them from completing the job with a must-have, game-changing presence on the edge.

Only the spectacularly mediocre Takkarist McKinley said yes to what amounted to peanuts as all the good ones hit their monetary jackpots with other teams. And that bring us to phase two of molding a championship team by the lakefront.

(Sure feels strange to type that after all those years of futility, teeth-gnashing and next-yearing -- as in wait 'til -- about professional football in Cleveland. Feels nice, too.)

With the NFL college draft three weeks away down by the shores of Lake Erie and the entire NFL universe tuning into arguably the most anticipated sports event on the sports landscape, Berry will get his next shots at completing the job.

And it's a good bet he won't take all nine shots he has with a roster that doesn't need restructuring. He'll be in a swapping mood with the likelihood of a seven- or eight-player haul.

The raging question is which way will he go when the Browns' turn at 26 in the first sound rolls around? Edge rusher to pair with Myles Garrett? Linebacker that will improve the quality at the position? Cornerback in the event injury-prone Greedy Williams remains injury-prone? Safety if rookie Grant Delpit isn't completely healthy?

Also raging is whether the Browns will vacate that spot by trading up if a targeted player and a team willing to deal can be pieced together without sacrificing the immediate future. 

Top priority from this viewpoint must be finding the complement to Garrett on the other side of the defensive line. McKinley is not the answer and there are a few in the draft who might be available like Azeez Ojulari, Kwity Paye, Jaelan Phillips, Jayson Oweh and Gregory Rousseau. Maybe not at 26, but who might drop low enough to pitch a trade.

Why edge? Why not cornerback, especially in a division that loves to throw the football? Because strong pass defense is born up front. Members of the secondary love lines that make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. It makes the secondary's job that much easier.

Why do you think Johnson and Hill, who played so well for the Los Angeles Rams last season, were highly sought in free agency? Because they flourished with the help of the Rams' front seven, most notably the defensive line.

Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Morgan Fox, Michael Brockers and Samson Ekuban had 43.5 of the club's 53 sacks. The Browns had 38 sacks, 12 of them by Garrett. The Browns need help in the defensive trenches. 

Hill allowed just one touchdown pass last season in L.A. If the Browns cannot produce significant pressure up front, wanna bet Hill will get burned more than once? The domino effect of a good pass rush  flows back to the secondary. It is the prime beneficiary of a strong pass rush.

An average pass rush that gives quarterbacks time to throw the ball and receivers enough time to work their way open generally results in negative plays. But make the quarterback throw before he wants or blow up plays that rely on perfect rhythm and timing and positive plays generally follow. 

Offense is all about timing. Defense is all about aggression. The Cleveland defense pretty much played last season on its heels. Granted defensive coordinator Joe Woods was not exactly blessed with what could be generally called talent with perhaps the exception of Garrett and Denzel Ward. 

Another X-factor is what the Browns' final draft board looks like. Plugging in to Berry's mind in that regard is futile. Just when you think he surely will go in one direction, he is quite capable of doing the exact opposite. 

But one outcome is certain. He is smart enough to avoid falling into a trap and mortgaging the future for the wrong reason. The fervent hope here is he targets the pass rush first and makes that the missing piece of the championship puzzle.