CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Last week I asked our cleveland.com Football Insiders for their opinion on what the Browns should do with pick No. 26 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
I enjoyed their feedback so much that I picked their brain once again a few days ago. This time I wanted to know what they learned from watching Super Bowl LV. Specifically, what did Tampa Bay’s defense teach them about defeating the Chiefs?
Once again, I was impressed with their responses. Many said, “create pressure rushing four.” Others reiterated the Browns’ lack of team speed. But an overflow of texts demanded better linebacker play. Because of that feedback, I went back and rewatched the Super Bowl with a fine eye on Buccaneers linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David.
And my goodness, our insiders are right. Just a few weeks ago I firmly believed GM Andrew Berry’s top priority should be drafting an edge rusher in the first round. I’ve changed my mind. Cleveland needs a stud linebacker.
Therefore, I want to have a conversation about roster building. For the Browns to compete for a Super Bowl, Joe Woods’s defense must add three key pieces.
- A three-down linebacker Woods can deploy like a queen on a chessboard.
- One more quality edge rusher.
- A carbon copy of Grant Delpit and/or Ronnie Harrison.
Let’s start with highlighting why drafting a stud linebacker in the first round became a must over the weekend.
Excellent linebacker play won Tampa Bay a Super Bowl
Bucs defenders Devin White and Lavonte David delivered a linebacking masterclass against Kansas City. Sure, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce finished with 10 catches for 133 yards, but many of those yards were empty calories. Through three quarters, Kelce had just six grabs for 55 yards -- largely because White and David were (legally) mauling him at the line of scrimmage and matched his downfield foot speed.
There are a drunk amount of reps I could embed in this story. That’s how excellent David and White played. Let’s focus on the clip below. Down 31-9 with a minute to play in the third quarter, Kansas City couldn’t manufacture much.
Kelce is lined up as the No. 3 receiver at the top of the screen. Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles tactically played a lot of two-man match defense. Meaning, the Bucs used two high safeties to take away the deep ball while their underneath linebackers suffocated any routes in front of them.
Kansas City runs a simple Y slant for Kelce. He’s the first and only read for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Against an average linebacker, the Chiefs win this rep. But since David can run with Kelce, it’s not a mismatch. Instead, David fires like he hadn’t already played 50 snaps. Watch both David’s foot speed and physicality at the top of Kelce’s route.
It’s a remarkable rep. David undercuts Mahomes’ throw and nearly intercepts him. Kelce caught three of five targets versus David for 23 yards and one first down.
On this next play, David’s teammate Devin White single-handedly disrupted a third-and-4 running back screen from the first quarter.
Notice how White begins on the other side of the middle hash to Darrel Williams (31). At the snap, he takes one lateral slide when he notices Williams hop to his right. Freeze the play at the seven-minute mark, I dare you. Notice there are three Chiefs within an arm’s reach of White. He evades them all. Even receiver Sammy Watkins cannot successfully pick him. Then off-screen for a brief moment, he returns to duck under an offensive lineman’s block to meet Williams.
The Browns are one quality edge rusher away
As well White and David played, the pressure Mahomes faced also helped Tom Brady win his seventh Super Bowl. Of his 56 total dropbacks, Mahomes faced pressure a Super Bowl-record 31 times. Athletic contributor Nate Tice’s tweet sums up Mahomes’ evening well.
If Game of Thrones isn’t your thing then Google “Battle of the Bastards John Snow GIF” and compare it to the above tweet. But Tampa didn’t solely send four and drop seven. This play below shows a third-quarter stunt Bowles called that caught Mahomes by surprise.
Ignore Tampa’s coverage. However, for extra credit watch David’s (54) coverage of Kelce (87). But this rep is about Shaquil Barrett. Lined up at left end, Barrett (58) loops around the Chiefs’ entire offensive line, seeking Mahomes before he can escape. The tight view shows defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh jackknife inside, exposing a running lane, but Barrett fills it perfectly.
Though they play different styles (Suh relies solely on bull rushing), the Browns have a defensive tackle in Sheldon Richardson who affords the Browns flexibility to rush this way. What they are missing is an athletic end opposite Myles Garrett.
Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul bookend the Bucs’ pass rush. From a roster-building standpoint, the Browns are not far away from what Tampa Bay has upfront.
Get Joe Woods one more versatile safety
As close as the Browns are upfront to generating Tampa Bay-like firepower, Cleveland has a ways to go in the back end. Tampa Bay drafted rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. a selection after Berry picked Delpit. Winfield became a postseason star while Delpit didn’t play a snap due to injury. As disheartening as that sounds, I view it hopefully.
If Delpit returns and provides even 60 percent of what Winfield did, then the Browns upgraded. Pairing him with Harrison and one more carbon copy safety would give Woods his dream defense. I’m confident the Browns want to play a 4-1-6. In the Super Bowl, Tampa deployed either 4-2-5 or 3-2-6 looks.
* When identifying defensive personnel, the first number represents the number of defensive linemen, followed by linebackers and then defensive backs.
Watch the play below and notice how my cursor moves from two double teams (Kelce and Tyreek Hill) to two one-on-one coverages that Tampa wins. Even on the double, Kelce wins his rep but drops the ball. Still, this is how a secondary must look and play to beat Kansas City.
What we learned
The night the Browns’ season ended, I wrote about their need for a linebacker. I explored what it took, highlighting prospects like Steelers backer Devin Bush or Ravens rookie Patrick Queen. Plugging in either would change Cleveland’s defense immediately. Bush was picked No. 10 the same year White went fifth. The Ravens landed Queen at No. 28 last April.
Nine years ago Tampa Bay selected David No. 58 (late second round). A season ago they signed Barrett to a one-year deal in free agency and traded a third-round pick for Pierre-Paul. Point is, none of those roster moves are outlandish and Tampa Bay doesn’t feature any rushers near Myles Garrett’s caliber.
Meaning, the Browns’ defense isn’t far away. Yes, I said it. To me, one of the worst defenses in football seems only a few strategically aggressive offseasons away from matching the greatest defensive performance in Super Bowl history.
If I’m right, just hope Tom Brady retires before then.
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