Very little is going right for the 1-6 Cleveland Browns so far this season, and the future is now looking as bleak as ever with Deshaun Watson out for the year and Amari Cooper having been traded to the Buffalo Bills.
One bright spot has been linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is off to a great start and has developed into one of the best players at his position in all of football.
Pro Football Focus shared a stat on Tuesday that shows just how good Owusu-Koramoah has been, pointing out that he had a 94.2 run defense grade in Week 7, which was the best in the NFL.
The best run defense grade in Week 7:
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – 94.2 💪 pic.twitter.com/fs0AE2PDD9
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 22, 2024
Owusu-Koramoah had his breakout year last season but is improving upon those numbers this year with 54 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception through seven games.
He is a big reason why this defense has held its opponent to 21 points or less in five of the Browns’ seven games so far, and if the offense had been able to produce consistently, this season might still be intact.
The star linebacker is about to turn 25 years old, and the team was smart to lock him up with a 3-year, $39 million extension prior to this season because the price would have gone up given the production he has had this year.
Owusu-Koramoah and his defense will have a tremendous challenge awaiting them on Sunday with the Baltimore Ravens coming to town riding high on a 5-game winning streak.
His league-best run grade is about to be put to the test against Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
NEXT: Browns Lead NFL In Unfortunate QB Stat Since 1999