It's the defense, stupid

As the 2022 Browns opened up training camp for the entire squad Wednesday in Berea, one question more than any other occupied the minds of many observers and pundits.

No, it did not center on the whens, wheres and hows of the Deshaun Watson Saga. Those questions have been massaged ad infinitum to the point where the actual verdict by National Football League disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson will seem anticlimactic.

So what's the question?

Hold on.

It is much more team related and focuses on the defensive side of the football, easily the most valuable unit last season. Without it, the Browns wind up somewhere around 5-12 or 6-11 because the offense was AWOL after the first six games of the season.

The highly disappointing 8-9 record masked the outstanding job Joe Woods' defense did after regurgitating 156 points in those six games. With an offense, featuring a partially crippled quarterback, rapidly falling apart, the coordinator performed a miracle and kept the Browns in playoff contention.

The defense that allowed 26 points a game clearly overachieved, with one notable exception (a 45-point blowout), in the final 11 games. It played the kind of defense Browns fans hadn't seen since can't remember when despite working with a patchwork group crafted by General Manager Andrew Berry.

The tackling was sharp, the pass coverage tightened and blown coverages in the secondary disappeared. When no one was looking, a switch had been flipped.

In those last 11 games, the defense that coughed up 156 points limited 10 of those opponents to just 159 points, a per-game average drop of 10 points a game. It was as though Woods figured it all out by game seven and everything almost miraculously fell into place.

The only problem was the offense that put up 156 points in the first six games scored just 152 in 10 of the remaining 11games. It was the exact opposite of the 2020 season when the high-powered Cleveland offense had to flat out outscore the other team to barely win.

So what's the question? Is it unreasonable for the fans to expect to see the defense of the final 11games again this season? Most everyone is back from that still very young unit. Surely, it stands to reason they are comfortable with Woods' direction.

With the offense clearly better when Watson clears whatever punishment Robinson deems fitting, you can bet head coach Kevin Stefanski would like nothing better than to wed the achievements of the 2020 offense with those of the 2021 defense.

If there is a weakness on defense, it resides at tackle where Berry has failed to plug holes following the departure of Malik McDowell (off-the-field problems) and Malik Jackson. Woods is counting on free agent Taven Bryan and third-year man Jordan Elliott to finally blossom after two disappointing seasons.

Many fans seem to be excited about rookie Perrion Winfrey, who fell to the fourth round of the draft despite a second-round grade. If he plays as well as he runs his mouth, he could earn more reps than returnees Sheldon Day and second-year man Tommy Togiai.

The last two seasons, the Browns played relatively well against the run, holding opponents to around 110 yards a game. If Berry chooses to gamble and stick with his group even though there are some notable veteran defensive tackles still on the street, fingers crossed on the run defense,

The rest of the defense is basically set with incumbents and/or significant contributors at all other positions. Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and newcomers Chase Winovich and rookie Alex Wright are set to harass opposing quarterbacks from the edge.

The linebacking crew of Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki . and Tony Fields II returns, as well as the majority of the secondary with third-round pick Martin Emerson Jr. replacing nickel corner Troy Hill (back with the Los Angeles Rams) on the roster.

Like the Cleveland running game on offense, there is an embarrassment of riches in the defensive backfield. Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Greg Newsome II with help from A. J. Green, Reggie Robinson II and Emerson man the corners.

The entire safety crew is back with John Johnson III at free and Grant Delpit at strong with Ronnie Harrison Jr. and Richard LeCounte III off the bench.

With a perhaps a rare exception or two, these are the men who will strive to duplicate the final 11 games of 2021 season. this time, though, with the assistance of an improved offense

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