The Cleveland Browns’ defense took a bit of a step back from last season.
Jim Schwartz’s unit had some steady contributors, but others weren’t as efficient as they had been in the past.
Even though the linebacker position seems to be the least important part of his scheme, the unit actually did a very good job.
With that in mind, Dalton Wasserman of ProFootballFocus chose Jordan Hicks as the best free-agent signing the team made last offseason.
He pointed out that he posted his best stats since his 2018 season with the Philadelphia Eagles:
“Cleveland’s linebacker group was arguably their brightest source of optimism this season. That was due at least in part to Hicks, who earned a 77.4 grade — his best since 2018 when he was in Philadelphia,” Wasserman said.
The Browns lost Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah due to injury, but Hicks stepped up nicely.
To say that this was a disappointing season for the defense would be a huge understatement, but you can’t blame Hicks for that.
Hopefully, the team will get back to their strong defensive ways next season.
Of course, addressing the quarterback situation will also help in that regard.
The defense can only do so much when the offense fails to put the chains in motion, and they were visibly worn out and exhausted at the end of games, especially late in the season.
Hicks isn’t getting any younger, but he’s still very dependable.
With just a few minor adjustments, this team could and should perform much better and be back in the playoff mix, as they are clearly better than their record indicates.
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