Getty Linebacker Kwon Alexander speaks after training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on August 1, 2022 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns defense was ravaged by injuries last season, an issue perhaps felt most acutely inside the linebacker room.
With many of the same names returning to prominent roles within the position group in 2023, the logical move for Cleveland is to add reinforcements. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report on Sunday, April 9, suggested that linebacker Kwon Alexander is the one free agent left available who could most help the Browns in this regard as they push for a return to the playoffs in 2023.
“Depth is the primary need for a Cleveland roster that basically has its starters in place,” Kenyon wrote. “Kwon Alexander would provide more cover at linebacker, a position that dealt with a bunch of injuries in 2022. Alexander notched 69 tackles as a 12-game starter for the Jets last season.”
Alexander Has Been Career Starter For Bucs, 49ers, Jets
GettyLinebacker Kwon Alexander (center) and defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd (right) of the New York Jets celebrate a play during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Alexander’s professional career has been a mixed bag eight years in, but the linebacker has caught the attention of multiple high-quality defenses in recent seasons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Alexander No. 124 overall in the fourth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played with the Bucs for four seasons and earned a Pro-Bowl nod in 2017 before signing a four-year, $54 million contract to join the San Francisco 49ers defense in March 2019.
The Niners traded the LB to the New Orleans Saints a little less than two seasons into that deal. Alexander played in the NFC South for a year and a half before joining the New York Jets in 2022, where he appeared in all 17 regular season games and earned 12 starts.
Alexander has amassed 590 tackles, including 49 tackles for loss, 29 quarterback hits, 12.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, eight interceptions and a defensive touchdown during the course of his NFL tenure. He has been a solid performer in pass coverage over the last two seasons, affording opposing QBs ratings of 81.5 and 89.5, respectively, per Pro Football Reference.
All of Browns Starting Linebackers Were Injured in 2023
GettyLinebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (center) of the Cleveland Browns will return in 2023 after suffering a torn quad last season.
All three of the Browns starting linebackers heading into next season missed serious time in 2023. The rash of injuries began with middle linebacker and captain Anthony Walker Jr.
Walker started the first three games of the year before suffering a season-ending quad tear during Cleveland’s Week 3 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next, SAM linebacker Sione Takitaki tore his ACL in early December. Just one week later, the Browns sent WILL linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to the injured reserve list (IR) with a sprained foot.
Takitaki played in 12 games in 2022, starting eight, while Owusu-Koramoah appeared in 11 games and earned 10 starts. Backup linebacker Jacob Phillips, who the Browns promoted behind Walker, was lost for the season in October due to a pectoral injury. He played in seven games, starting four.
The good news for Cleveland is that the linebacker room remains relatively young. All four of the aforementioned defenders are between the ages of 23 and 27. However, injuries in the NFL have a way of stacking up and snowballing, particularly at such a high-contact position. As such, the addition of a player like Alexander on a value contract is precisely the kind of deal for which the Browns should be looking.