The Browns came out of their first preseason game with the same basic takeaway they’ve been carrying through camp: the top end of the defense still looks fine, but the back half of the roster is a different story.
Cleveland’s first units barely had time to settle in against the Chicago Bears. The defensive starters were on the field for just three snaps, and after a three-and-out, they were done. That left the rest of the night to a group that had been thinned out by injuries and filled in by a lot of recent additions.
That reality showed up fast. In a game where Cleveland became the only team to allow more than 30 points in the first full week of the preseason, the depth behind the starters looked shaky in several spots. It’s hard to draw huge conclusions from one preseason outing, but it was clear the Browns were leaning on a lot of unfamiliar names in the secondary.
Up front, the defensive line got the most work. Khordae Sydnor led the group with 39 plays, finishing with 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 TFL, and 1 QH.
Tyreak Sapp followed with 35 snaps and 1 tackle, 1 assist, plus 1 QH. Julian Okwara also made his presence felt, logging 31 snaps with 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 TFL, and 1 QH.
Adin Huntington was on the field for 31 plays and recorded 1 tackle. Logan Fano played 26 snaps without showing up in the stat sheet, while Benton Whitley had 23 plays, 1 assist, and 1 QH.
Patrick Jenkins added a pass defended in 22 snaps, and Travis Bell posted 2 tackles and 1 assist on the same number of plays. Coziah Izzard chipped in 1 tackle and 1 TFL over 15 snaps.
The Browns didn’t get much of a read on the defensive tackle depth with Maleik Collins, Mike Hall, and Sam Kamara all sitting out with injuries. That leaves Adin Huntington as one of the few names worth noting from that group. On the edge, though, the depth remains a bigger question, which is why Cleveland has been looking to bring in a veteran.
At linebacker, Winston Reid was one of the clearer standouts. He played 32 snaps and put together 3 tackles, 2 assists, and 3 passes defended. He also earned PFF’s second-highest grade on the defense at 89.7, a strong showing for a player trying to make the roster again.
Justin Jefferson led the linebackers in snaps with 38, finishing with 2 tackles and 1 assist. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold played 35 snaps and totaled 2 tackles and 2 assists.
Nathaniel Watson logged 29 snaps with 1 tackle and 1 assist, while Edefuan Ulofoshio had 13 snaps, 1 tackle, 1 assist, and 1 TFL. Quincy Williams appeared on just one series, but he did make a nice tackle in his lone snap.
Jefferson, meanwhile, ended up on the other side of the grading scale with a PFF mark of 35.5.
The cornerback group reflected the same theme: lots of snaps, not a ton of separation. Nate Evans was the busiest, playing 44 snaps and posting 1 tackle and 1 pass defended.
Tre Avery worked 35 snaps without a stat. Jeadyn Lukus had 25 snaps and 2 tackles, while Tyler Hall added 2 tackles and 1 pass defended in 22 snaps.
Michael Coats came away with the strongest box score among the corners, finishing with 2 tackles, 1 interception, and 2 passes defended over 18 snaps. Myles Harden played 5 snaps and didn’t record a stat.
At safety, Christopher Edmonds was everywhere. He played 48 snaps and racked up 6 tackles and 1 TFL.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren followed with 36 snaps and 3 tackles plus 1 assist. Jeremiah McClendon added 1 tackle and 1 pass defended in 20 snaps, while Donovan McMillon had 1 tackle in 18 snaps.
Daniel Thomas, Zion Washington, Ronnie Hickman, and Grant Delpit also saw action, with Hickman recording 1 tackle and Washington adding 1 assist.
For Cleveland, the night didn’t do much to change how the defense is viewed at the top. It did, though, make the depth concerns a lot easier to see.
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