PFF grades for the Cleveland Browns after two weeks of football

The Cleveland Browns PFF grades after two weeks are out.

The Cleveland Browns have a short turnaround this week, as they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night football. On Monday, the team descended into arguing with one another ahead of the big rivalry game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, darkening the cloud that is already hanging over the team’s collective head.

To compound the negativity surrounding the team, several key players will be out for Thursday’s matchup. Jadeveon Clowney, Chase Winovich, and Jesse James will all be out for the game. That will seriously impact what the team can do, which has already been in doubt after two very poor performances back to back.

Those poor performances won’t help anything and if anything, the Steelers will only help compound the issues surrounding the team. The offense has a lot of inconsistencies, and the defense is a bill of false goods, overhyped by various media members.

So it’s not surprising that the PFF grades are what they are after two weeks.

Offense

1. Nick Chubb – 86.7 (+6.8)
2. Wyatt Teller – 81.3 (-4.6)
3. Amari Cooper – 76.0 (+22.6)
4. Joel Bitonio -72.1 (+13.1)
5. Harrison Bryant – 67.9 (+16.5)
6. Kareem Hunt  – 67.8 (+0.3)
7. James Hudson – 65.0 (-11)
8. Anthony Schwartz -64.5 (-3.1)
9. Jacoby Brissett – 64.4 (+17.7)
10. Donovan Peoples-Jones 60.8 (-7.2)
11. David Njoku – 59.2 (+31)
12. Ethan Pocic – 57.7 (+6.2)
13. Demetric Felton – 56.1 (+2.4)
14. Jedrick Wills – 53.6 (+1.9)
15. David Bell – 48.6 (N/A)
16. Jesse James – 42.2 (N/A)

As you can see, Amari Cooper had the biggest improvement from Weeks 1 to Week 2, breaking over 100 yards on Sunday against the Jets. Jacoby Brissett was also much improved from his very shaky performance against the Carolina Panthers. Though, I do expect this to be the peak of his play and not the norm.

Joel Bitonio had a much better outing, upping his grade to a much more respectable number.

The issue comes with the bottom tier. The names hanging out down there are your usual suspects of David Njoku, Ethan Pocic, Demetric Felton, and Jedrick Wills. The inclusion with Wills is most concerning, as he’s been declining each and every year since his rookie season.

Defense

1. Myles Garrett – 91.9 [56 vs. the run] (-2.5)
2. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – 91.4 (91 coverage/74.4 run/66 pass rush) (+13.1)
3. Anthony Walker – 90.8 (90.4 coverage/72.1 run/61.5 pass rush) (+17.4)
4. Sione Takitaki – 80.7 (+9.8)
5. Martin Emerson 74.8 (+14)
6. John Johnson III – 63.4 (+0.4)
7. Taven Bryan – 61.9 (+12.1)
8. Alex Wright – 60.4 (-6.3)
9. Tommy Togiai – 59.9 (-11.8)
10. Greg Newsome – 57.7 (-10.4)
11. Isaiah Thomas – 52.6 (N/A)
12. Denzel ward –  43.8 (-21.5)
13. Ronnie Harrison 50.2 (-6.7)
14. Jordan Elliot – 47.6 (-12.6)
15. Chase Winovich – 42.4 (N/A)
16. Grant Delpit – 42.2 (-6.9)
17. A.J. Green 34.6 (N/A)
18. Jacob Phillips – 29.7 (+2.9)
19. Isaac Rochell – 28.7 (N/A)

The big jumps this week belong to the trio of linebackers, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker, and Sione Takitaki. They each joined Myles Garrett at the top of the charts and should give Browns fans comfort that the defensive scheme does work. It’s just a lack of talent in the secondary that’s become the problem.

One concern to note is Garrett’s skills or lack thereof against the running game. We know he has had issues in the past being a shut-down defender against the run but those numbers really highlight how much of a one-trick pony he really is.

Tommy Togiai and Jordan Elliot tumbled far down the hill, but Taven Bryan showed great improvement according to PFF; making the defensive tackle position uneven. Not having Perrion Winfrey didn’t help, I’m sure.

The secondary, besides Martin Emerson, as a whole took a step back. This is a situation where a bad link ruins the chain. For my money, that bad link is Grant Delpit, though there’s probably blame to go around to guys like Denzel Ward as well.