The best and worst the Cleveland Browns had to offer according to PFF

The Cleveland Browns players get graded by PFF.

I have a love-hate relationship with PFF. The outfit which is now everywhere in the NFL-blog-o-sphere is owned by former NFL player and announcer Chris Collinsworth. So if you were ever wondering why you see it on Sunday Night Football, there you go. It’s a useful tool but it is not the end all, be all, of football analysis.

PFF grades players no differently than any other pundit or fan, via the eye test. And much like fans who claim to know what they’re seeing all the time on the field, PFF doesn’t truly know all the information to make an informed decision. They don’t what plays were called, so it’s hard to know who is at fault when something goes wrong. It’s much easier to grade the good in this scenario than the bad.

Yet, PFF is a valuable resource. It helps explain the perception, at the very least, around a player. That’s why I wanted to look at the scores this week, as some in the Browns sphere seem to think some really bad performances were actually “good”.

So let’s take a look at both the offense and defense. Now, to be clear, I only picked the players who had a sizeable impact on the game. So not every one of the Browns’ 48-dressed players will appear on this list.

Offense

1. Wyatt Teller – 85.9
2. Nick Chubb – 79.3
3. James Hudson – 76
4. Donovan Peoples-Jones – 68.0
5. Kareem Hunt – 67.5
6. Anthony Schwartz – 67.6
7. Joel Bitonio – 59
8. Demetric Felton – 58.5
9. David Njoku – 56.1
10. Amari Cooper – 53.4
11. Jedrick Wills – 51.7
12. Harrison Bryant – 51.4
13. Ethan Pocic – 51.3
14. Jacoby Brissett – 46.9

Seeing Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb top the list is unsurprising. Neither is Jams Hudson, as the Panthers really didn’t attack him at all during Sunday. Anthony Schwartz got the grade he got due to two handoffs, but as he’s a receiver, that drop really should affect his score more than it did.

I’m shocked by Joel Bitonio’s 59, but then I remember that the rushing game fell apart in the fourth quarter, with a lot of rushes by Chubb no less, ending at the line of scrimmage or just after. Harrison Bryant’s 51.4 is also a bit surprising as he really didn’t do much but maybe that’s the issue.

As for the rest, yeah, they sucked. They deserve the grades they got. Especially Ethan Pocci and Jacoby Brissett. Pocic is lost on passing-downs and missed a few blitzes. As for Brissett, expect more of the same.

Defense

1. Myles Garrett – 94.4
2. Jeremiah Owusu Koramah – 78.3
3. Anthony Walker – 73.4
4. Tommy Togiai – 71.7
5. Sione Takitaki – 70.9
6. Martin Emerson – 70.6
7. Greg Newsome – 68.1
8. Alex Wright – 66.7
9. Denzel Ward – 65.3
10. Jadeveon Clowney – 66.5
11. John Johnson – 63
12. Jordan Elliot – 60.2
13. Perrion Winfrey – 59
14. Ronnie Harrison – 56.9
15. Taven Bryan – 49.8
16. Grant Delpit – 49.1
17. Jacob Phillips – 26.8

The Browns’ defense is filled with a lot of average to above-average players and Myles Garrett. That’s about what I expected and this team can do well with that makeup, assuming the safeties play much better than they have. Anything 60 up and is acceptable, anything under 60 is not.

Seeing the same few guys at the bottom of the list isn’t surprising at all. Ronnie Harrison, Grant Delpit, and Jacob Phillips have never been good for the Browns, and at this rate, may never be good. Perrion Winfrey and Taven Bryan will be given some time, but not much, at least in the case of Bryan. When the team faces off with the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens, heavier running teams, they will be exposed or fortified as starters.

I’m curious if Tommy Togiai will perform the same going forward. The team isn’t exactly deep at the position and while Togiai put up impressive stats, he did so in limited reps. What would the length of a full game do to him? Will he tire out like the Browns’ defensive line did in the fourth quarter or can he maintain that pace?