Getty Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones walking off of the football field after an NFL game.
The Cleveland Browns‘ defense is about to improve.
The organization has waived linebacker Dakota Allen to make room for its newest addition, former Pro-Bowl linebacker Deion Jones. The Browns acquired Jones via a trade with the Atlanta Falcons following their Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Fred Greetham of The Orange and Brown Report posted the news on Twitter Tuesday, October 18.
#Browns have waived LB Dakota Allen. He will likely be replaced by LB Deion Jones
“#Browns have waived LB Dakota Allen,” Greetham wrote. “He will likely be replaced by LB Deion Jones.”
Jones had shoulder surgery during the offseason and has been on the injured reserve list (IR) since then, but is expected to be eligible to play this week. The Browns sent the Falcons a sixth-round pick and a seventh-round pick in 2024 in exchange for Jones, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Browns Thin at LB Since Injury to Anthony Walker Jr.
Getty ImagesQB Mitch Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers scrambles away from LB Anthony Walker Jr. of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland has Pro-Bowl caliber players on the edge and in the secondary, but the linebacker position has lacked depth for weeks.
Middle linebacker and defensive captain Anthony Walker Jr. suffered a torn quad in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending his season. Jacob Phillips has struggled since stepping in as the starter in Walker’s stead, and Jordan Kunaszyk has also been a regular fixture on the active roster since beginning the year as a member of the practice squad.
Jones figures to step into a prominent role relatively quickly, as the Browns defense has struggled against the run, allowing 238 yards on the ground to the Chargers two weeks ago.
“We have to stop the run, we have to fit the run, tackle and all of those things,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said following the loss to the Chargers. “We have to get that fixed.”
The Browns defense rebounded in the run game against the New England Patriots last week, allowing just 98 rushing yards, though the team surrendered 38 points in a blowout home loss that marked Cleveland’s most lopsided defeat of the season.
Jones recorded 137 tackles in 2021, including eight tackles for loss. He also tallied six defensed passes, four quarterback hits, two sacks and a forced fumble, per Pro Football Reference.
Browns Defense Continues to Deal With Injuries to Top Players
GettyDE Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to a game at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 22, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
While Jones should help shore up the middle of the field, injury issues exist at every level of Cleveland’s defense heading into a pivotal Week 7 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.
Pass rusher Myles Garrett re-aggravated a shoulder injury against the Patriots last Sunday, though X-rays on Tuesday returned positive results and Garrett is expected to play this weekend, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward sat out last week with a concussion, and his status against the Ravens remains up in the air. The Browns signed Ward to one of the richest deals at the position in NFL history over the offseason.