In the NFL, the worst thing to happen in a game on the defensive side of the ball is to hand over games by allowing the other team to run against you at will. Especially up the gut.
In the past few years under DC Jim Schwartz, this didn’t happen much against the Cleveland Browns defense.
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In years past before Schwartz arrived, opponents ran up the middle all the time when Joe Woods ran the defense. The main reason was he set up the defense in the 4-2-5 quite a bit.
The elimination of that third linebacker placed a huge hole in the center.
Under Schwartz’s scheme, the linebackers were there for run support and to cover tight ends and running backs. This meant the defensive line had to hold its own and plug running lanes as well as rush the passer. Rarely did linebackers or safeties blitz. The idea was for everyone to play their spot on the field.
The right athletes
The other issue with a porous middle is the players themselves.
Playoff teams are stout against the run in their interior. The Browns’ DC Mike Rutenberg this year will follow Schwartz’s alignment regarding the defensive line and linebacker group. This should continue to get better at stopping the run.
But it takes players. Make that, healthy players. Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty with the interior defensive line.
Gone is the dependable Shelby Harris, who is now with the New York Football Giants.
Each practice session in training camp reveals that the Browns DT room is fairly thin. It is uncomfortable.
There is sentiment that this might become the final training camp for former second-round draft pick Michael Hall, Jr. (6’-3”, 300 pounds). He has had enough time to find his place on this roster, and at no time has he been seen as a starting defender. In his two seasons in the league, he has played in 17 games and has just three starts. 25 total tackles and 2.5 sacks do not justify his salary, and in the end, it may justify keeping him.
He suffered a right knee injury during OTAs this spring, which may expedite his departure. Last year, Hall tore his MCL with a knee dislocation against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. This is a guy who has never been hurt at any level and now can’t stay on the field.
One of the starting DTs, Maliek Collins (6’-2”, 310 pounds), was a splash signing at a need position in last year’s free agency period. He is a former third-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys and signed a two-year deal with Cleveland. This means this is his contract year.
Collins was a beast on the field and proved valuable against the run, and surprisingly added 6.5 sacks and 15 pressures from the interior. But he suffered a season-ending quad injury in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers that landed him on IR and required surgery. To start this year’s training camp, Collins was placed on the PUP list.
Last year, Collins was referred to as a “secret superstar,” and now this year, he has been mentioned as one player who may not return if the team allows him to enter free agency.
The backup department
Sam Kamara and Kalia Davis are guys who are considered quality depth players. But both are dealing with injuries on their own.
Kamara (6’-0”, 272 pounds) has been with the Browns off-and-on since 2022. He has been signed, released, signed to the practice squad, brought up to the main roster, then released, and the cycle just continues with similar scenarios. He has played in 22 games in four seasons with a single start. Basically, a career backup. The Browns like him because he can bounce to the outside if needed.
On August 3, Kamara was carted off the field during a practice session. His injury remains undisclosed.
Davis (6’-2”, 310 pounds) was another free agent signing. As with Kamara, he left practice in early August with a lower-body injury and has been limited to watching from the sidelines. The Browns list him as day-to-day. He has an extensive injury history in the NFL as well as in college.
Last year’s first-round pick, Mason Graham (6’-4”, 315 pounds), has missed some practices due to minor inconveniences. It was revealed that last season he played with a cracked and broken rib sustained late in his rookie year after making a tackle, but played anyway. That has had time to heal during the offseason.
Our own Jared Mueller gave this analysis on the team’s injury front:
So, out of the first six players listed on the Browns depth chart at defensive tackle, everything written so far has been about five of these athletes. Only Adin Huntington has been spared the injury plague.
Backups have been signed recently to help this room just in case somebody can not start the season on a healthy note, but the franchise does not want to release him.
Elijah Chatman (6’-0”, 278 pounds) is a guy who is a bit light for the position and has just three starts for the Giants the past two years. He has 24 total tackles, 1 sack, 4 pressures, and 0 missed tackles. Travis Bell (6’-0”, 310 pounds) was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears, with the Browns being his sixth team. He has played in two NFL games, but won a championship with the Louisville Kings of the UFL this spring. He had 38 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.
Coziah Izzard (6’-3”, 305 pounds): Izzard went undrafted in last year’s NFL draft before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs after a stellar college campaign at Penn State, where he was referred to as “an athletic freak.” He spent time on their practice squad and was later waived. He then spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals and was waived last week.
Patrick Jenkins (6’-2”, 287 pounds) is now on his sixth team, two in the UFL. He played in all 10 games for the Columbus Aviators with 22 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Izzard and Jenkins have yet to play in an NFL game. The grand total of all four of these backup players is 24 NFL games played, two starts, and 113 defensive snaps, but plenty of UFL games played.
Painful reality: Too thin at DT
Most coaching staffs keep four defensive tackles and five defensive ends. This year, the Browns may need to keep about eight defensive tackles on hand: four on the main roster, and another four on the practice squad.
Having several good players is essential because Rutenberg will want to rotate his defensive tackles in each game. This means despite not being a starter, the remainder of this group will get a good number of snaps during the year.
So far in training camp, Huntington and Chatman are getting quite a few first-team reps. None of the injuries to these DTs appear to be serious, but it is definitely a thing for this year’s Browns defensive front.
The Browns might want to bring in another unsigned free agent that has game experience just in case something happens. Attrition hits every club, but this year Cleveland has been hit pretty hard and early.
But who is still out there?
Greg Gaines (6’-1”, 312 pounds)
Age: 30
NFL experience: 7 years
Total tackles: 186
Tackles for loss: 16
Sacks: 14.5
Forced fumbles: 0
Fumble recoveries: 2
Pass defenses: 0
Pressures: 51
QB hits: 35
Knockdowns: 17
Hurries: 17
Missed tackles: 11
DaQuan Jones (6’-4”, 320 pounds)
Age: 34
NFL experience: 12 years
Total tackles: 372
Tackles for loss: 34
Sacks: 20.0
Forced fumbles: 4
Fumble recoveries: 3
Pass defenses: 7
Pressures: 51
QB hits: 63
Knockdowns: 33
Hurries: 32
Missed tackles: 30
Folo Fatukasi (6’-4”, 318 pounds)
Age: 31
NFL experience: 8 years
Total tackles: 195
Tackles for loss: 28
Sacks: 7.0
Forced fumbles: 1
Fumble recoveries: 1
Pass defenses: 7
Pressures: 38
QB hits: 24
Knockdowns: 14
Hurries: 16
Missed tackles: 12
How worried are you about the DT position for the Browns roster? What do you think they should do, wait for health or sign someone?
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