Last season, Cleveland’s historic defense was dominant, ranking first in the NFL with the fewest yards allowed as well as the fewest passing yards allowed.
With the core of their defense returning for the 2024 season, one media outlet has returned the Browns to the No. 1 ranking for NFL defenses this season.
Bleacher Report recently ranked every NFL team’s defense after the draft, and Cleveland’s stout defense was billed as the best in the league in the article.
The report noted Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is the lynchpin for the season, explaining that the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year’s ability to disrupt opposing offenses is the primary reason for the ranking.
Cleveland’s ability to keep the unit together under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was also praised, noting that the team’s continuity under Schwartz for a second consecutive year will only improve this defensive unit.
The report identified the Browns’ weakness in stopping the run – particularly in the red zone – as the area where the team can improve the most.
Last season, teams scored on more than 70 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line, according to the report’s analysis.
Cleveland has added multiple defensive linemen during the offseason to combat this, including a second-round draft pick in former Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr as well as signing Quinton Jefferson before the draft.
Additionally, the team has added linebackers Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks to aid the run defense.
The AFC North was well represented in the top 10 as Baltimore and Pittsburgh came in at the sixth and seventh, respectively.
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