The Browns came out of Week 1 looking nothing like the defense fans were used to seeing under Jim Schwartz. The pressure never really showed up, the tackling was shaky, and the playmaking was sparse.
Even with Myles Garrett gone, one departure shouldn’t flatten a unit this hard. Still, the snap counts from the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars suggest Cleveland could be in line for a few changes next week.
Up front, Mason Graham was one of the few bright spots. He logged 34 snaps, picked up 3 tackles, 2 assists, a sack, 2 tackles for loss and a quarterback hit, and PFF gave him a 63.0.
Jared Verse, meanwhile, played 37 snaps and posted 3 tackles, 1 assist and a tackle for loss, but the production didn’t match the expectations. He was around a 57.2 by PFF and didn’t generate a pressure.
Isaiah McGuire also played 37 snaps and finished with 2 assists.
The other defensive line wrinkle was the amount of work Adin Huntington got. He was on the field for 29 snaps, the same total as Mike Hall, and that usage stood out.
Maliek Collins, who played 22 snaps, may end up taking on more once he gets further back into the flow of football. Huntington, Collins and Hall all graded poorly by PFF.
Sam Williams played 23 snaps, while Derek Barnett logged 17 and didn’t register any stats.
At linebacker, Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams were the clear every-down pieces. Schwesinger played all 57 snaps and piled up 3 tackles, 7 assists, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
Williams was right behind him at 55 snaps and finished with 3 tackles and 1 assist. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold saw 19 snaps, and Winston Reid played just one.
The secondary had its own notable numbers. Tyson Campbell and Denzel Ward both played every snap, with Campbell recording 3 tackles and 4 assists and Ward adding 1 tackle, 4 assists and a forced fumble.
Ward was the Browns’ top-graded defender at 90.5, giving Cleveland at least one steady presence on a rough day. Myles Harden was on the field for 25 snaps and was picked on early, finishing as one of the lowest-graded defenders on the roster.
At safety, Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit each played all 57 snaps. Hickman totaled 3 tackles and 5 assists, while Delpit had 1 tackle, 2 assists and a pass defended.
The biggest surprise came with rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who only got 14 snaps, or 25 percent. That’s less than what some might have expected for a player thought to be a bigger part of the defense.
He still graded out to a 69.2, the third-best mark on the unit, so it’ll be worth watching whether Cleveland expands his role in the coming weeks.
In Other News...
Browns Just Sent A Clear Week 2 Message After That Week 1 Letdown
Tuesday brought a busy roster shuffle for Cleveland, with eight moves that included placing Dylan Sampson on injured reserve and tweaking the practice squad. It was the kind of housekeeping that usually gets buried under game-week prep, but for a team still trying to steady itself after a rough Week 1, every transaction feels like part of a larger reset.
The Browns also used the day to keep the football picture moving, with head coach Todd Monken weighing in, the Week 2 unofficial depth chart being released and the organization staying active in the community with a pair of events. None of it erases how low Cleveland sits in the NFL pecking order after the opener, but it does show a team trying to answer a letdown with urgency rather than excuses. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watson Just Reignited The Browns' Biggest Accountability Debate
Deshaun Watsons latest comments landed at a familiar intersection for the Browns: production, perception and the pressure that comes with a quarterback contract that has been under a microscope since day one. After a recent game in which he went 16-for-22 for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception, Watson pushed back on the idea that he should be delivering video-game numbers every week, pointing out that the standard being set for him is unrealistically high.
The timing only sharpened the debate because much of that production came late, after Cleveland had already fallen behind. Watson has now played in 20 games for the Browns, and the body of work remains middling while injuries have taken away significant time. For a team still trying to figure out whether the evaluation should focus on health, efficiency or expectations, his remarks only reopened a question the Browns have never really answered. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans May Hate Where The Week 1 Sack Blame Lands
The Browns came out of Week 1 with a familiar frustration on offense, but the blocking story may not be as simple as the sack total suggested. Cleveland was hit with five sacks against Jacksonville, yet Pro Football Focus pinned all of them on Deshaun Watson rather than spreading the blame to the offensive line or other blockers. For a unit that has spent plenty of time under the microscope, that kind of grading at least gives the front five something to point to beyond the final result.
There were signs of progress up front, too, with rookies Spencer Fano and Austin Barber both drawing better marks in pass protection and run blocking. For a Browns team trying to stabilize an offense that struggled overall, those improvements matter because they hint at a line that may be finding some footing even if the night ended with plenty left to clean up. The bigger question now is whether that trend holds once the pressure ramps up again. [Read more 🡒]