The Cleveland Browns have one of the best edge rushers in the NFL on their roster, but after Myles Garrett the position gets questionable.
Cleveland signed Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to a three-year contract worth $19 million this offseason to replace Jadeveon Clowney opposite Garrett. However, beyond that the Browns have only Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas on the roster at defensive end.
Reporters asked general manager Andrew Berry about his plans for the position during a press conference on April 21.
“I would expect us to add more,” Berry said. “I mean, we are going to get to 90 [players on the roster] eventually. I can’t say that it is going to be on draft weekend or in May or in August, but I would expect us to add to that room.”
Aside From Garrett, Browns Top 3 Defensive Ends Combined For Just 6 Sacks in 2022
GettyEdge rusher Obo Okoronkwo is likely to start at defensive end for the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
Okoronkwo is the clear favorite to start in Clowney’s place in 2023 based on his contract and a breakout season last year that saw him amass 17 quarterback pressures, 11 quarterback hits, five sacks and one forced fumble, per Pro Football Reference. Playing opposite Garrett should only help those numbers improve.
Clowney’s production was down last season, his second campaign with the Browns, due to several injuries. The defensive end produced just two sacks in 12 games for Cleveland after tallying nine sacks one year ago. Clowney began feuding with the Browns publicly late in the year, making his departure in the offseason all but a certainty.
Cleveland clearly believes in Wright, a third-round pick out of UAB in 2022, playing him in all 17 games during his rookie year. Wright also earned five starts. He didn’t jump off of the screen last season but did produce 28 tackles, including two tackles for loss, and five pass breakups.
Thomas tallied one sack and two pass breakups across 10 appearances on the season.
Browns Have Added Help For Myles Garrett Along Defensive Line
GettyCleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has made an All-Pro team in each of the previous three seasons.
The Browns have beefed up the defensive line this offseason beyond Okoronkwo, specifically at the defensive tackle position.
Cleveland signed Dalvin Tomlinson to a four-year deal worth $57 million in March to add another bonafide playmaker to the defensive front. The Browns struggled to defend the run all year with one of the worst defensive interiors in the NFL in 2022.
While the addition of Okoronkwo is a valuable one, especially at less than $7 million per season, the Browns owe it to Garrett to get him a few more quality running mates for the 2023 campaign. Garrett has made an All-Pro team in each of the last three seasons and four times during his six-year NFL career.
Garrett tallied 16 sacks for the second consecutive year last season and finished fifth in voting for the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also produced 38 quarterback pressures and 26 quarterback hits in across 16 games played.
Over the course of his professional tenure, Garrett has tallied 74.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown, per Pro Football Reference.
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Browns Plan to Add High-Level DE Alongside Myles Garrett