Q & A

Questions seeking answers as the Browns approach the beginning of training camp for unquestionably the most important season this iteration of the franchise has anticipated since the rebirth.

Coming off a never-expected-that season that captured the imagination of the entire National Football League, the Browns as a result enter the 2021 season with extraordinarily high expectations forecasts.

Just like that, they have become the darlings of the NFL elite after a stunning 11-5 season that came thisclose to being 13-3, and a short playoff run that seriously threatened to dethrone the defending Super Bowl champions.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Super Bowl and Cleveland Browns in the same sentence is no longer oxymoronic. Wait'll next year has arrived with a team that has retained one of the league's most dangerous offenses and a defense that has been almost totally revamped for the better.

And yet questions abound, as they should. On both sides of the football and special teams. They seek answers that could help pave the way to playing a football game next Feb. 13 in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

After plodding through two decades of miserable football, it feels weird to type those words. The dream is always there, of course. And it always evaporated, of course. Until last season, when head coach Kevin Stefanski delivered phase one of that dream.

Okay, enough of the preamble. Time for questions.

Who will be working under the most pressure this season?

No, not a player. It's got to be Joe Woods, who took more verbal abuse last season that any other coach or player. To be fair, the defensive coordinator was working, with a couple of exceptions, with a ragtag group of players on that side of the ball. Their failure to make plays was alarmingly inevitable and depressingly often.

The same cannot be said this season. Not after General Manager Andrew Berry, whose revamp of the offensive line last season resulted in an explosive offense, turned his attention to the defense. The results will result in as many as nine new starters and/or major contributors via free agency and the college draft.

A cautionary note: Do not expect this new defense to come out of the chute and perform as though it were midseason. That's not going to happen. But it will be better on an exponential basis as the season unfolds.

The return of cornerback Greedy Williams and safety Grant Delpit, who missed the entire 2020 season with major injuries, will automatically improve the depth at those positions in a secondary that routinely  gave up big plays. 

With the addition of free agents Jadeveon Clowney and Takkarist McKinley, the drafting of Tommy Togiai and the return of Andrew Billings from last season's COVID-19 opt-out to help the great Myles Garrett, the defensive line ostensibly should be better despite the departures of edge rusher Olivier Vernon and tackles Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi.

At linebacker, the drafting of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and free-agent signing of Anthony Walker add speed and savvy behind the line. Walker solidifies the run game, while JOK most likely will be utilized as a hybrid linebacker/safety.

Last season, Woods had a convenient excuse for the Browns' constant failures on defense. He will not have that luxury this season. Not with the talent Berry has accumulated. He must get it right.

What about returnees like Jordan Elliott, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, Malcolm Smith and Mack Wilson? Where do they fit in? Or do they fit in at all?

Most will fit in. But at least one of that group will be an ex-Brown. Perhaps two. The drafting of Tony Fields II puts Smith, Takitaki and Wilson in jeopardy at linebacker. More-so the latter two, who have not distinguished themselves in two seasons. Elliott faces tough competition with the return of Billings and the signing of veteran Malik Jackson.

The secondary is very crowded. Ten cornerbacks and seven safeties. What gives?

Denzel Ward, top pick Greg Newsome II, free-agent signee Troy Hill and Williams are locks at cornerback. So are the trio of John Johnson III (free agency). returnee Ronnie Harrison and Delpit at safety. M. J. Stewart Jr. and Robert Jackson will serve as depth at corner, while the drafting of Richard LeCounte could pave the way for the release of safety Sheldrick Redwine.

So what kind of a pass rush can fans expect this season?

Unless Woods incorporates more blitzes in the defensive playbook, most likely not as many as last season's 38 sacks. The signing of Clowney will enhance the run defense for certain. He is is not much of a pass rusher. Neither is McKinley, who was a four-season disappointment for the Atlanta Falcons. The Brsowns will miss Vernon's nine sacks last season.

Garrett can expect to see double teams most of the season unless Clowney and/or McKinley can miraculously find different ways to get to opposing quarterbacks. The hope is rookie Curtis Weaver, picked up on injury waivers at the beginning of last season, comes through. The smallish (6-2, 265) Weaver, a college standout at Boise State, is roughly the same size as Vernon.

Next: A look at the offense and questions in general.