Mack Wilson believes LBs can ‘prove the world wrong’, he better be right

The Cleveland Browns will need Mack Wilson and other young linebackers to step up and Wilson thinks they can, but for their sake, he better be right.

The Cleveland Browns are going into 2020 with some questions. A couple of which involve the two biggest position battles on defense. With the linebackers and safeties basically being overturned from 2019 versions, both groups need to rebuild and reload. Yet, it might be the linebackers who have the most to prove. Something second-year linebacker Mack Wilson intends to do.

"“I know the guys in the room have seen it, and I make sure that I remind those guys of what these people think of us,” Wilson said. “I just always tell them, ‘We are going to prove the world wrong. We are just going to continue to work. Keep our heads down and just focus on the task at hand.'”"

Wilson will be the only real returning starter from the 2019 season and the rest of the spots will see guys like Sione Takitaki, B.J. Goodson, and Jacob Phillips compete for the two other two openings. While Phillips and Takitaki are the choices many fans are picking, due to their youth, Goodson was brought in to push guys and see if he can’t earn a spot.

If Goodson does start, Wilson will more likely start on the outside. If Goodson doesn’t, Wilson may be moved inside. Wilson’s versatility and youthful experience make him invaluable to this young corp of guys. The huge changeover and the pressure to outperform past starters are part of the reason the linebackers, and not the safeties have the most to prove in 2020.

The safeties, are unproven but already a much better-looking bunch on paper than who they had playing at the positions in 2019. The linebackers, on the other hand, let two tackling machines go in Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert. Kirksey, now a Green Bay Packer, had injury issues the last few years and was cut in the offseason. Schobert, on the other hand, was snubbed from his second-straight Pro Bowl and went on to sign a hefty contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wilson and his mates in the linebacking corp can’t afford to come up lame in 2020. Not after GM Andrew Berry bet on his ability to replace Schobert at a discount.