Of course the Cleveland Browns could use Christian Kirksey

The Cleveland Browns could have really used Christian Kirksey

The Cleveland Browns have had some issues at linebacker over the last few years. From injuries to poor play, it’s been one of the least stable positions the franchise has had. Sione Takitaki has been the longest-tenured player at the position, and while he’s been a solid starter, he’s never been close to a Pro Bowler during his tenure in Cleveland. Anthony Walker re-signed with the Browns and is someone who showed off his skillset with the club but injuries derailed his 2022 campaign.

Then of course there’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a very good player but maybe a bit undersized for the position. So the team has talent but it’d be fair to say that if they still had Christian Kirksey, the unit would be a bit more robust.

Our sister site, Dawg Pound Daily, wrote about this exact this week, talking about how the Browns should’ve retained Kirksey. Kirksey wasn’t the only name, but he is the one we most agree with.

The Cleveland Browns could use Christian Kirksey for one good reason

Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert are two guys the Browns could still benefit from, that Andrew Berry moved on from. Keeping both of them would not only have improved the pass defense, but it would have allowed the Browns to make one key move.

See, Owusu-Koramoah is out of position at linebacker. He’d be a better fit at safety. Not only would he be a better fit, but he’d be the best safety (in theory) that the team would’ve had in decades. He’d go from a solid starter to a Pro Bowler with the move.

Yet, the Browns lack the talent to replace him. By having Kirksey, a tackling machine in Houston, now that he’s healthy, you’d be able to move Owusu-Koramoah up to the safety spot and have Walker and Takitaki surround Kirksey in the middle.

With Kirksey’s ability to attack the run, and the speed around him, the team’s defense could be much improved, and we as fans, wouldn’t have to rely on the likes of Grant Delpit to safeguard against the deep ball.

• Published on 07/10/2023 at 02:00 AM
• Last updated at 07/10/2023 at 02:00 AM