It was been a fairly successful offseason for the Cleveland Browns.
They’ve made major upgrades on the defensive side of the ball.
The front office made it a focal point to add talent in the secondary this offseason.
However, Cleveland lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency and cut veteran tackle Sheldon Richardson.
That leaves youngster Jordan Elliott with some big shoes to fill in 2021.
Trusting Elliott
The Browns are going to put their faith in Elliott and give him a fair shot in 2021.
They selected Elliott in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
He recorded 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks through 12 games during his final season at Missouri.
An explosive tackle with burst and quickness to get after the quarterback with ease.
The #Browns Jordan Elliott, DT from Missouri. He can be explosive 🔥
— Everything Cleveland (@everythingcle_) April 25, 2020
However, Elliott didn’t see much of the field during his rookie season in Cleveland.
To be fair, he was behind Ogunjobi and Richardson, so there wasn’t a lot of playing time available.
Elliott finished the season with 15 tackles, but not everything he does shows up on the box score.
There’s no stat for helping close the gap on a running play and run-blocking is where Elliott shines the brightest.
Obviously, there is always room for improvement, but Elliott is well deserving of an increased role in Cleveland.
Getting To The Next Level
It’s not unrealistic to think that Elliott could have a breakout campaign in 2021.
He put together a solid college career and played well with limited playing time last season.
The Browns don’t have many reliable options at defensive tackle, so Elliott should get significant time on the field.
The downside is that the Browns really don’t know what they have in Elliott.
As already mentioned, he was a part-time player in 2020, so there could still be a bit of a learning curve for him.
Cleveland added some reinforcements in the form of veteran Malik Jackson and Ohio State tackle Tommy Togiai.
Ohio State DT Tommy Togiai with 40 reps
FORTY.
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 30, 2021
That being said, the starting job is likely still going to be Elliott’s to lose heading into training camp.
He was graded well coming out of Missouri and has played well in limited snaps at the professional level.
The Browns should give Elliott a long look during the 2021 season, so he should get a chance to prove himself.
If everything goes right, Elliott could very well become a full-time starter and have a breakout type campaign in 2021.
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