Training camp can't get here soon enough. By then, we'll have plenty of answers to all of the loose ends surrounding the 2020 Browns.
For now, we simply have some questions.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be discussing those queries and analyzing the variables that accompany them. We've narrowed our list to 10, but there are certainly many more that will need to be answered by the time Cleveland opens the season against the Ravens in Baltimore.
We're continuing today with a look at the Browns defense from a big-picture perspective. Just how good can it be?
The 2019 season was a roller coaster for the Browns' defense.
It started with a thud, when the unit collapsed in the second half of a lopsided, season-opening loss to the Titans. One week later, the Browns, led by their ferocious defensive line, absolutely dominated the Jets. They looked similarly strong a couple of weeks later against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens but then couldn't stop anything the 49ers did one week later. The defense paved the way for three straight home victories, including a dominant effort against the Steelers, but then the bottom fell out thanks to a lethal mix of injuries and absences — none bigger than Myles Garrett's.
The final numbers: Cleveland ranked 22nd in the NFL in total defense (361.6 yards per game), 7th in pass defense (216.9), 30th in rush defense (144.7) and 20th in scoring defense (24.6 points per game).
That's what make expectations tough for a Browns defense that returns its entire defensive line — perhaps the unit's top strength when fully intact — and its top cornerbacks from last year's squad. But there are new faces at linebacker and safety and a new set of defensive coaches, led by coordinator Joe Woods, guiding a group that will meet in-person for the first time when training camp opens.
Woods, who came to Cleveland after a Super Bowl appearance with the 49ers, said he's excited to put his own stamp on the Browns' defense. In a sense, it will be a tribute to those who have inspired him most throughout his coaching journey.
"I have been on some good defensive staffs the last couple years, going back to my time in Minnesota, my time in Denver, with Wade Phillips and then last year in San Francisco," said Woods, who was the 49ers' pass game coordinator/DBs coach. "What I am really putting together is a combination of what I feel like have been the top defenses of the last basically 10 years. It is really a combination of the things that I have done in Minnesota, Denver and San Francisco, and they all fit together. We are almost through our whole install so I feel like it is going to be a really good defensive package that is simple where the guys can play fast, but I think it will cause some problems for the offenses."
Cleveland's defense will cause the most problems if it sees two of its cornerstone players, Garrett and Denzel Ward, continue their ascent and a number of young faces emerge as reliable, solid starters.
The Browns signed Garrett to a five-year contract extension Wednesday and made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Cleveland will be home to Garrett's dominance and record-breaking potential through 2026, and his presence alone will make the Browns defense difficult to prepare for an opposing quarterback every Sunday.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens game on September 29, 2019 at M&T Bank Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos game on November 4, 2019 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett poses for a photo during a news conference at the NFL team's training facility, Friday, April 28, 2017, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bear game on December 24, 2017 at Soldier Field. The Browns lost 3-20.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns game on November 14, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions game on November 19, 2017 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 7–19.
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns game on September 22, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns game on November 10, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett answers a questions during a news conference at the NFL team's training facility, Friday, April 28, 2017, in Berea, Ohio. Garrett played defensive end at Texas A&M. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns game on November 10, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado on December 15, 2018.
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns game on November 10, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns game on October 13, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots game on October 27, 2019 at Gillette Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on October 21, 2019
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the second day of training camp on July 26, 2019.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens game on September 29, 2019 at M&T Bank Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers game on October 7, 2019 at Levi's Stadium.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on September 18, 2019
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns game on September 22, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns game on September 22, 2019 at First Energy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium on September 20, 2018 on Thursday Night Football
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns on September 8, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on September 13, 2019
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on August 26, 2019
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on September 10, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the thirteenth day of camp on August 10, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the third day of training camp on July 27, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the fourteenth day of camp on August 12, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the first of two joint practices with the Colts in Indianapolis.
Gohan and Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the fourth day of training camp on July 28, 2019.
Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns on August 8, 2019 in the preseason at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the Orange and Brown Scrimmage on August 3, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the second day of training camp on July 26, 2019.
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns game on October 8, 2017 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns lost 14–17
Signing Day 2019
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) and Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during a conditioning test on July 24, 2019.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns on October 7, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets game on September 16, 2019 at MetLife Stadium.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburg Steelers on October 28, 2018 at Heinz Field.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the first day of minicamp on June 4, 2019.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the third practice of OTAs on May 16, 2019
Media Days 2019
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bear game on December 24, 2017 at Soldier Field. The Browns lost 3-20.
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium on September 20, 2018 on Thursday Night Football
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium on September 20, 2018 on Thursday Night Football
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bear game on December 24, 2017 at Soldier Field. The Browns lost 3-20.
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bear game on December 24, 2017 at Soldier Field. The Browns lost 3-20.
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bear game on December 24, 2017 at Soldier Field. The Browns lost 3-20.
Advertising
Garrett, of course, has plenty to prove after a season in which he racked up 10 sacks in 10 games but was suspended for the final six. His absence was felt in a massive way, as Cleveland simply couldn't generate much of a pass rush without him and the rest of the defense suffered as a result of it.
The Browns believe Garrett's best football is still in front of him. His goals are even higher and more specific. Either way, a fully healthy and available Garrett makes the Browns a completely different defense than the one that finished the 2019 season.
"Myles' skillset, I think, is still scratching the surface," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier this month. "He's young, and I can't wait to get our hands on him and put him in this scheme and let him loose."
Ward, a Pro Bowler as a rookie, was similarly missed when he was sidelined for four games with a hamstring injury during the first half of the season. When he returned, he resumed his role as the team's top cornerback. A full season of Ward would do wonders for a Browns secondary that will feature a brand new set of safeties and Greedy Williams, who will look to take a big leap in his second season.
There are a handful of players on this defense who fit in the same category as Williams — likely starters who could easily take their game up another level in 2020. That applies plenty at linebacker, where Mack Wilson is looking to build off a solid rookie campaign and B.J. Goodson is hungry to establish himself as a leader at middle linebacker. There are players such as Kevin Johnson and Karl Joseph, both of whom were former first-round picks who have been dogged by injuries during the first part of their respective careers. And there's a veteran such as Olivier Vernon, who had his previous season sidetracked by a knee injury.
The pieces and potential are there. Seeing how it comes together at training camp will further guide the expectations.
