Dawgs By Nature
Punter Corey Bojorquez and the Browns defense was very busy last year due to the Browns offense
When the Cleveland Browns made the playoffs after the 2023 NFL season, it was mostly on the backs of their stellar defense. DC Jim Schwartz won Assistant Coach of the Year and DE Myles Garrett was the Defensive Player of the Year. Everyone had (Joe) Flacco fever but it was far more about the defense that kept them in or won games earlier in the season that led to the playoffs.
So what happened in 2024?
While this might seem like an excuse for Cleveland’s defense last year, a lot of things outside of their control impacted their performance. Schwartz’s unit wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they were rarely put in a position to be successful because of the bad offense.
How bad?
A full eight percent worse than the next team at finishing drives with points:
With Corey Bojorquez leading the league in punts (89), only one other punter had more than 80 (Chicago’s Tory Taylor), and the offense tied for the most turnovers (34), the Browns defense was put in a tough spot all season long.
Whether it is the return of Flacco, Kenny Pickett learning a ton from his one year with the Philadelphia Eagles or either draft pick (Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders), Cleveland needs better ball security from the quarterback position after leading the league in interceptions last season. On top of that, the quarterback position accounted for eight of the team’s 11 lost fumbles.
Taking care of the football has always been a key for a team. The failure of the Browns offense to do so last year, on top of not getting into scoring position much, so much worse than any other team, explains why Cleveland’s defense couldn’t control games like they did the year prior.
Hopefully, all the changes this year will lead to a big change for the Browns offense, leading to a better performance from the defense.
We all knew the Browns offense was bad last year, but are you surprised by the above 70% punt/turnover stat? Do you give Cleveland’s defense more slack because of the offense’s failures?
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