With the NFL trade deadline coming up quickly on Nov. 3rd, it is abundantly clear that the Cleveland Browns need some help on the defensive side of the ball.
The Browns could use a safety, some help for Myles Garrett to rush the passer, and a nickleback to help in pass coverage.
Could Myles Jack be the player the Browns are looking for that could help?
Myles Jack Background
Jack was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and the 16th best prep linebacker in the country; ultimately, he would opt to attend UCLA.
Playing as a true freshman, he saw action in 13 games, even lining up as a running back for multiple games after a wave of injuries hit the Bruins.
He was both the Defensive and Offensive Freshman of the Year for the PAC-12 in 2013.
His sophomore year saw him named to the All PAC-12 Second Team; after suffering an injury early in his junior year, he withdrew from school to focus on rehabbing his injury and to focus on the draft.
He would be taken in the second round, 36th pick overall, in 2016.
Why Myles Jack?
Why should the Browns be interested?
In short: they need defensive help.
Everywhere.
With the injuries piling up on the defensive side of the ball, the Browns need help.
With the Jags sitting at 1-5 and heading for yet another rebuilding season, Jack could be a great target for the Browns in a trade.
The biggest issue right now is his health.
According to Big Cat Country, he’s currently on the Jags’ injury report for this weekend.
#Jaguars vs. #Chargers injury report:
LB Myles Jack still not practicing because of ankle injury and few who were limited yesterday were no go on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/s8zReazHpt
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) October 23, 2020
He left last weekends 34-16 loss to the Lions with the same ankle injury, but when healthy, he has shown he can be a force on the field.
Since coming into the league in 2016, he’s played in 64 games, racking up 227 solo tackles and 6.5 sacks.
More importantly, he’s got the range to cover running backs and tight ends.
Myles Jack picks off Big Ben and that is the 6th time Roethlisberger has been picked off by the #Jaguars defense this season.pic.twitter.com/gPLckGSScd
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 14, 2018
This would be a boon for the Browns.
With Jack being able to add an additional layer of coverage, this would take some of the pressure off of the defensive backs, notably the safeties, who have struggled to stop the pass and have had Browns fans starting a petition to get a certain someone out of town.
An addition of Jack would force Coach Stefanski to make a hard decision-sitting Mack Wilson or Sione Takitaki.
While Takitaki has put up better numbers than Wilson so far this season, Wilson is just coming off an injury, and both Jack and Wilson present better athletic options at the OLB position.
With or without Jack joining the Browns, I can’t imagine Andrew Berry not pulling the trigger to set the Browns up for a playoff run.
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