5 Cleveland Browns whose stock are down after close call vs Bengals

1. Olivier Vernon

The obvious strike against Olivier Vernon was when he tried to pick up the fumble forced by Myles Garrett after his hit on Joe Burrow. Vernon promptly missed and fell to the turf.

Fortunately, Ronnie Harrison was there to save the ball from going out of bounds.

As for the rest of the game, there wasn’t much of an impact to be felt from the veteran. If Myles Garrett wasn’t pressuring quarterback, nobody on the line was getting into the backfield, and that includes Vernon.

Vernon’s serviceable and at times plays well, but who the Browns currently employ is nothing like what the Steelers do in Pittsburgh. T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree were a nightmare on seemingly every play last week.

Garrett’s doing his part, but the production just isn’t there from Vernon.

His play also shines a light on the Browns missing out, yet again, on edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who was traded to the Ravens. Think Baltimore’s defense was tough before they acquired Ngakoue? The re-match could be a disaster.