Cleveland Browns: Super Bowl 50 Proved Defense Should Be Priority

There are plenty of areas the Cleveland Browns have to upgrade this offseason. Yet, their defense is needed to be focused on in order to win in the playoffs and beyond.

Before you start laughing at me in the comments section based solely off of the Cleveland Browns/Super Bowl headline, at least hear me out. If you were one of the 115 million or so people who watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, you saw a game that was entirely decided by defense.

The Denver Broncos won in a game where quarterback Peyton Manning threw for less than 150 yards and did not even score a touchdown. Denver linebacker Von Miller was the MVP and he forced two fumbles and recorded 2.5 sacks.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy had three sacks and an interception, which had never been done before in a Super Bowl. Coming into the game, the Broncos were the top ranked defense in yards/game and the Panthers were the sixth. It should come as no surprise that the game was as defensive focused as it was.

So why does this matter to the Cleveland Browns, especially when Cleveland’s offense settled in at just 25th in yards and 30th in points? The bottom third of the league in yards saw three teams make the playoffs (Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings).

For contrast, the bottom third in yards allowed saw only one team, the Washington Redskins, make the playoffs. The top third defensively, though, saw eight teams in the postseason as opposed to four from the top third offensively.

The same theme shows when you look at sack totals and turnovers as well. The top third in each category is littered with playoff teams: eight teams in sacks and six in takeaways. Those two categories is also where the Cleveland Browns faltered all year. Oddly enough, though, the Broncos had one more total turnover than the Browns did in 2015 and they just won Super Bowl 50.

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So you will say what about the quarterback spot? Well, Josh McCown of all people finished the year ranked 22nd in QBR, right between Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston and Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr, both of whom made the NFL Pro Bowl. McCown was 13th in yards per game, which was better than eight playoff quarterbacks.

Granted, I will readily admit that the wide receiver position needs help and potentially the offensive line, but the sky is not falling on the offense. The sky has, however, already fallen on the defense, which failed to live up to the hype of being the most expensive in the NFL in 2015.

So while Cleveland Browns defenders continue to miss tackles and give up big plays, at least they can cash their oversized paychecks. The Broncos defense will gladly take their Super Bowl rings instead.

It is unfortunate that Johnny Manziel has again forced the Cleveland Browns to focus on the quarterback position in the draft. With the second overall pick, it will be hard for the Browns to talk themselves out of California’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.

That is, unless another team overwhelms them with a trade offer. The opportunity cost of ignoring other areas of need, like a pass rusher, every down outside linebacker, or an honest to goodness cover corner, is just too great to stomach drafting a third quarterback in six years.

At the end of the day, the truth is that the defense will get bumped down on the to-do list because McCown will be 37 years old when training camp opens in August. His age would put the Cleveland Browns one injury away from disaster, again. Maybe the Austin Davis contract extension pushes the Browns off of drafting a quarterback, but it is unlikely.

Next: Goff Is A Better Prospect Than Winston And Mariota

So while the Browns blow it all up again, another talented defense will likely help lead a team to a win in Super Bowl 51.