The arrival of HBO’s Hard Knocks series saw the attention on the Cleveland Browns skyrocket. The storylines were obvious to many several months ago. The transition to the NFL of first overall pick Baker Mayfield was potentially the biggest headline. The status of wide receiver Josh Gordon has also dominated conversation this preseason. The majority of the media-related attention seems to fall on the offensive side of the ball.
The bulk of the defensive conversation seems to swirl around the secondary, the most revamped unit in Cleveland’s defense. New additions such as Terrance Mitchell, E.J. Gaines, and rookie Denzel Ward have fans and analysts alike very high on the unit.
With all of the attention on the offense and the secondary, one of the team’s best units has flown under the radar a bit. A group with multiple Pro-Bowlers, Super Bowl experience, and depth. The group, of course, is Cleveland’s linebackers.
The Cleveland Browns Linebackers: One of the Team’s Most Underrated Units
The Heart of the Defense
The Browns feature a linebacking corps that could turn out to be one of the better groups in the NFL. Health will be a big factor, particularly with outside backer Jamie Collins. The former New England Patriot is arguably the most talented player on the defense when healthy. That said, Collins missed 10 games in 2017 due to injuries. A relatively healthy Collins would be a major plus for the Browns.
Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert return after both holding starting spots in 2017. Kirksey, who has not missed a game in his four-year career, is one of the vocal leaders of the team. Despite only playing four years in the league he is the longest-tenured Brown, along with guard Joel Bitonio.
Schobert, a 2017 Pro-Bowler, returns as the team’s leading tackler. The middle linebacker finished 2017 with 144 total tackles, six more than Kirksey. Schobert will need to duplicate his 2017 success if he hopes to prove he was not simply outshining poor talent around him. The roster is much different than it was when the team went 0-16, and Schobert will be challenged to show he belongs on a winning team.
The New Arrivals
New to the linebacker group in Cleveland are former Philadelphia Eagle Mychal Kendricks and rookie Genard Avery. The former will play the bigger role in 2018. Coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Eagles, Kendricks brings an edge and versatility to the group that seemed to be missing.
Not unlike Collins, Kendricks has value against both the run and the pass and provides defensive coordinator Gregg Williams with another piece to disrupt offenses. The arrival of Kendricks also likely revitalized the starters as there’s much more competition in camp than there used to be.
Avery almost certainly will not start, barring injuries, at any point in 2018. That said, depth is valuable and the rookie could still see time on special teams and in bigger defensive packages. At 6’0″ and 250 pounds, Avery was a bruiser at Memphis before the Browns selected him in the fifth round of April’s NFL Draft.
