Cleveland Browns: Review Pt. 3 Defense, ST, and More

By Kristopher Grimes | Sep 13, 2015

10 of 10

Summary

What should Cleveland Browns fans expect from the defense and special teams in 2015? I believe that they should expect a lot.

The team will rely heavily on rookie Danny Shelton to help against the run. By releasing players like Phil Taylor, Ishmailly Kitchen, and trading Billy Winn, the Browns are all in on rookies Shelton and Xavier Cooper on the defensive line. The good news is that both players seem to be worth the hype as they showed their skills in the preseason.

Meanwhile the secondary is unit is improved by adding Tramon Williams to start alongside Joe Haden. That gives the team two Pro Bowl caliber corners to go along with Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson behind them.

Then throw in K’Waun Williams and Pierre Desir and this team has some serious talent to cover receivers downfield. The biggest disappointment continues to be Justin Gilbert, but the team has deepened the secondary to where his failures aren’t as hardly felt.

Then finally the Browns special teams should be improved. Kicker Travis Coons is mostly an unproved player, but Andy Lee is a Pro Bowler, and if Travis Benjamin returns to his pre-injury form on punt returns the Browns will have field position advantages game in and game out.

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The only question will be Coons and how he proves himself. If he makes the kicks, then there’s no problems. If he misses them, well it doesn’t matter what the offense does, what the field position was, or what the score is, his consistency and development is a key to the overall hopes of the Browns in 2015.

Overall, what will the Browns do this year?

I predict a 6-10 season. While most Browns fans will consider that a disappointment, I consider the strength of schedule. The teams that the Browns face this year will dictate the wins and losses.

There are winnable games in the early part of the season with the likes of the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, but the schedule is also filled with games against the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.

On offense, Josh McCown has a lot to prove. Is he the QB that threw 12 touchdowns to 1 interception for the Chicago Bears late in 2013 or the QB who led a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team to a 1-10 record last year?

I for one think he’ll fall somewhere in between and be an average to above average QB, but that will rely on his running game. If we see Johnny Manziel, it might be the signs of a season that’s once again gotten away and is looking to answer if he is the future or not.

Will Isaiah Crowell take the reigns as the featured back and carry the load most of the season? Or will Duke Johnson live up to the hype and really make a difference? Terrance West is gone, so now it’s up to these two to help McCown.

Duke Johnson will be the Browns starting running back if he stays healthy. He has the speed, the elusiveness, and the traits of a LaDanian Tomlinson. In his few snaps at RB in the preseason games he made an impact in the eyes of the fans, let’s hope he gets to show that on game day.

The wide receiving group and tight end group is a mix of average guys at best, but their success depends on the contributions of the short guys. Brian Hartline will get a lot of catches, Andrew Hawkins will man the slot, and for now Taylor Gabriel will get a lot of run.

The key to the success of this unit lies in the success of Dwayne Bowe. With the release of Terrelle Pryor he is the size this team will need in the end zone and downfield. If he’s unable to return to a player who can get about 900 yards and 5+ TD’s, it might be a long season for McCown and the Cleveland Browns offense.

Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray‘s consistency at TE will help the run and give McCown options in short yardage situations, but rookie E.J. Bibbss might be the guy with the most potential to make a difference.

Defense will be better this season against the run this season. but it will be far from the elite level Pettine and his coaching staff would like to see. Danny Shelton will get consideration as a rookie of the year candidate, but won’t have the actual stats for real chances of winning.He will be a factor for the defense though.

Haden and Whitner will lead a talented secondary, and they will make a lot of plays this year. It will be great to see how much the return of all the players last year and the addition of Tramon Williams helps.

All in all Browns fans don’t be disappointed in my 6-10 prediction. I believe that this season will be better than the record looks. However, at the end of the day it is about wins and losses. The difficulty of the schedule is the biggest factor.

The Cleveland Browns will be an improved team in 2015, just look to the scores rather than the wins and losses. The Browns should be in most of the games, but they’ll still fall short against the likes of Peyton Manning’s Broncos and the strength of the AFC North late.

Next: Browns vs Jets: Game Preview

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