If you blinked after the Detroit Lions’ win over the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football,” you might have missed the week that was: we’re just a few days away from Detroit’s next matchup. For the second week in a row, the Lions face off with an AFC North opponent, this time welcoming the Cleveland Browns to Ford Field.
So we’re back for another installment of “5 Questions,” this time with Chris Pokorny, the Site Manager of Dawgs By Nature, to give us some insight into who deserves credit for the Browns’
dominant run defense, if Joe Flacco at age 40 is the guy Cleveland can count on this season, and which group of pass catchers have been most effective for the Browns this early into the season.
1. The defense for the Cleveland Browns has shown up each and every game so far, and it seems to start with their run defense (-44.3% in defensive rushing DVOA).
Who are those contributors most responsible for the Browns’ success in holding the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers to just 2.3 yards per carry across 75 (!) carries? What does their approach to stopping the run look like in the front seven?
“The degree of consistency has been crazy, as having a stout run defense isn’t something that Browns fans are accustomed to. It’s easy to assume that rookie DT Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger are the difference makers in Cleveland after being drafted so highly, but I think veteran DT Maliek Collins has had a big impact in that area. DE Myles Garrett is known for his pass rushing ability, but he has stepped up his game in the run department as well. Defenders are making clean tackles, and the rotation that Cleveland is deploying is working very effectively. Even the jet sweeps that used to be major weaknesses for the defense, are being held to minimal gains.”
2. While the run defense has absolutely shut down opposing rushing attacks, the pass defense (4.1%, 18th in DVOA) has been more average through the first few weeks.
Myles Garrett is obviously part of generating some pressure up front, but who else is someone for Lions fans to keep an eye on from Cleveland’s pass rush? Some recognizable, homegrown names on the backend of Cleveland’s defense in Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and Greg Newsome II–what’s working, and not working, for the Browns in the secondary?
“The Browns’ other defensive end spot is anchored by a rotation of Isaiah McGuire and Alex Smith, and they generate a decent amount of pressure. I circle back to DT Maliek Collins, though, who has been an all-around monster. Linebackers Devin Bush and Carson Schwesinger are handling their assignments well. The fact that everyone can more than hold their own in the starting 11 has made a big difference—there’s just a great deal of speed and discipline, and teams haven’t been able to gameplan for it well. If I had to guess, the Browns’ more average pass defense probably stems from the statistical success that Lamar Jackson had in Week 2. I attribute much of that to Denzel Ward missing most of the game with cramps, and Jackson making a few throws that were still improbably completed against our defenders. Everything has been working in the secondary too, but if an injury happens and a guy like Cameron Mitchell has to see reps on the back end of the depth chart, it has created a big vulnerability on the defense.”
3. Selecting two quarterbacks in the middle of the 2025 NFL Draft opened up a lot of eyes and ears to the Browns this summer, for better or for worse. In the end, it’s Joe Flacco who ends up winning the job, and he’s the starter for Cleveland.
Ultimately, what led to head coach Kevin Stefanski making that decision to stick with the veteran, and do you feel like Flacco, at age 40, gives them the best shot at making a run for an AFC North title? Do you see him finishing the season as the team’s starter?
“It was definitely a storyline that dominated the entire offseason. You had like three storylines going on at once. One was whether Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett would be the starter, one was who the team would end up preferring between Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and one where people wondered, ‘what if?’ one of the rookies excelled to the point where they could start early in the year? The first story fizzled out quickly because Pickett hurt his hamstring early in camp, so it was all Flacco, all the time. He was sharp in camp, and played well in his one preseason game, so it seemed like a no-brainer to start him. The big storyline to me was the fact that Gabriel looked confident and gets rid of the ball quick—we looked at him and could easily see how he could start at some point this year.
Flacco still has what it takes to win some games, and all the experience that should complement a shutdown defense. However, it’s been a weird three games to assess. He was as sharp as a quarterback could be in Week 1, and lost. In Week 2, he was off his game in a major way. In Week 3, the offense in general just wasn’t doing anything and was so close to being shut out. Basically, with how inept the offense has been, there’s a feeling of, ‘Ok, Gabriel could be producing the same amount of points and at least get some experience.’ I think it’s a grander issue of the offensive tackles being injured, receivers underachieving, and Quinshon Judkins missing all of training camp. So for now, we need to hope the offense clicks, and that we see that complementary football that has just enough offense to keep Cleveland in any game.”
4. Speaking of the Browns’ offense, their passing attack seems pretty balanced; of the 80 total receptions recorded by the offense, six different players have 10+ catches through three weeks.
Tell us a little more about early returns on the Browns’ passing attack, whether or not Jerry Jeudy looks poised to build on his career year last season, and why third-round rookie tight end Harold Fannin is leading the team with 15 catches–MACtion!
“The Browns’ most consistent receiving options have been their tight ends, David Njoku and Harold Fannin. It’s been fun to watch that group, but the wide receiver position has been a pain. Jerry Jeudy really thrived with Jameis Winston last year, showing glimpses of being a dominant No. 1 receiver. This year, though, has been rough. He has dropped several key passes, and doesn’t seem in rhythm with Flacco. It sucks because a few years ago, off the street, Flacco had immediate chemistry with Amari Cooper, so I think we were trying to make a parallel assumption that he and Jeudy could do the same thing.
Cleveland seems to really like undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond, and increased his workload a week ago. It’ll be interesting to see if the same thing happens this week.”
5. Another spot the Browns double-dipped in during the draft was at the running back position, taking Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.
Judkins is currently t-8th among running backs in rushing yards over expected per attempt (+2.0) and 12th in rush EPA (+2.4). What’s been key to his early success, and who up front do the Browns want leading the way for their talented young running backs?
“Cleveland didn’t have Quinshon Judkins ready in Week 1, due to his offseason off-the-field issue. Dylan Sampson was the talk of the first game due to all his work in the receiving game. However, the Ravens and Packers have not been fooled by these swing passes, since they know it’s coming when the rest of the offense isn’t working. Nonetheless, we know Sampson has the pass-catching skills for when the offense finds a better rhythm.
With Judkins active the past two weeks, he is basically having his version of live training camp. His workload increased already last week, and you can see how they are getting him ready to be a bellcow back. He clearly has a different running style compared to the other backs on the roster, always being able to churn out positive yardage out of nothing, and also breaking tackles to break a big gain. He has the natural vision for a starting NFL back, and I’ve already said that if the Browns are going to be able to establish an identity this season, Judkins being the featured back of the offense is the best chance of establishing one.
Four veteran offensive linemen—left guard Joel Bitonio, center Ethan Pocic, right guard Wyatt Teller, and right tackle Jack Conklin—should on paper make for a solid offensive line. However, Conklin has basically missed the first three games, and it feels like Cleveland has been playing with no offensive tackles, which has been a significant disruption. The interior is holding their own, but the unit needs Conklin back to help get one side of the line fully stable.”
