The Cleveland Browns have found success mostly thanks to their defense.
The Browns hired Jim Schwartz to improve in that regard, and the turnaround was as quick as it was notorious.
Needless to say, bringing in a lot of help in the offseason has paid off, including former Minnesota Vikings star DE Za’Darius Smith.
That’s why it’s not much of a surprise to see that the Browns currently have the fourth-best pass-rushing duo in terms of QB pressures (146) when they have Smith and Myles Garrett on the field at the same time, according to PFF.
The best pass-rushing duos in the NFL 😤 pic.twitter.com/FjjvmVPIRB
— PFF (@PFF) January 6, 2024
Notably, if that wasn’t impressive enough, Garrett and Smith have the fewest snaps together from all the duos on that list (1,396), meaning they’ve been the most efficient pass-rushing tandem in the entire league.
Myles Garrett is having the best season of his career, and it’s not a coincidence.
Having such a seasoned and dominant veteran like Smith by his side has taken plenty of pressure away from him, and even though he’s been double-teamed on almost every snap, he’s still found a way to make an impact all over the board.
Garrett is en route to winning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year reward for the first time in his career, and, in all fairness, it shouldn’t even be a debate at this point.
And while the offense finally caught up thanks to Joe Flacco’s stellar play, at least two-thirds of the credit for this surprisingly good season has to go to their defensive unit.
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