The Cleveland Browns have done a good job of upgrading areas of need this offseason. Defensively is where the Browns had the most work to do and they found numerous upgrades in free agency and the draft.
After finishing 20th in points scored and 14th in yardage allowed, the Browns should be much improved on that side of the ball in 2023. While the defense as a whole struggled, where they were really poor was in stopping the run.
Cleveland finished 25th in rushing yards allowed, 29th in rushing touchdowns and 25 yards per rush. Addressing that was the first order of business for the front office. Needing to upgrade the interior of their defensive line, the Browns signed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to anchor the defensive front along with star pass rusher Myles Garrett.
Needing pass rushers, Cleveland also signed Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and acquired Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings. This unit should be much improved, but there are still some more additions that the team could make.
Adding another versatile, sideline-to-sideline linebacker would help take this unit to another level. Brad Spielberger of PFF has suggested that as one last move, Cleveland should make before training camp. One potential target for the team is veteran linebacker, Myles Jack.
“One more piece in the front seven, namely depth at off-ball linebacker with Anthony Walker Jr. coming off a tough injury, would help continue to shore up the interior of this Browns defense at all three levels.
Myles Jack will still be just 28 years old for the duration of the 2023 season and has posted a missed tackle rate below 10% in three straight seasons. His 76 defensive stops against the run over that span rank 12th among off-ball linebackers.”
Jack was a highly regarded prospect during his time at UCLA but there were some health concerns. He has remained relatively healthy throughout his career, with the most missed games in a single season being five.
While he has remained healthy, he hasn’t been as impactful as many thought he could be coming out of college. He has been a tackling machine in his career and is steady in that regard, but he hasn’t been much of a playmaker.
In his career, in 103 games, he has recorded 6.5 sacks and three interceptions with 22 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits. With the Browns, he could be used as an early-down thumper against the run to help bolster the team’s second level of their defense.
