The Cleveland Browns made significant moves on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.
They added multiple experienced players that should be upgrades to this team in 2021.
However, the organization failed to add any playmakers at the defensive tackle position.
Instead, they will trust veterans such as Andrew Billings, Malik Jackson, and youngsters like Jordan Elliott to fill the void.
It’ll be interesting to see if Elliott can make a significant jump in performance during his second year in the league.
A Sneaky Stud
During three seasons at the college level, Elliott put together a respectable stat line.
In 2018, he recorded 24 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three sacks through 10 games.
However, he followed that up with a 44 tackles campaign with 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in 2019.
Maybe those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Elliott is not a player that should be overlooked.
Jordan Elliott (@BIGJ5K), defensive tackle
Brugler’s ranks —
Mock draft: Second round (Falcons)
Top 300: No. 68
Grade: Rd. 2-3Notes: Team captain, second-team All-American (AP), showed explosiveness, lost 40 pounds over college career
pic.twitter.com/rq9wt1B8BU— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) April 22, 2020
He did enough to earn himself a third-round selection by Cleveland during the 2020 NFL Draft.
That was roughly where Elliott was projected and could potentially be a steal for the Browns.
Sadly, fans didn’t get to see much of Elliott during his rookie season in Cleveland.
He recorded 15 tackles, but spent most of his time as the backup behind Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi.
However, both players are out of the picture now, so it’s time to see what Elliott can bring to the table.
Keeping It Realistic
It’s not an easy task to go from a minimal role behind two veterans to a full-time starter.
There is most likely going to be a learning curve for Elliott to begin the 2021 season.
The hope is that Cleveland can somewhat ease him into his role during training camp.
The good news is, the Browns do have depth at the defensive tackle spot.
As mentioned, Cleveland has Billings and Jackson, but they also drafted Ohio State tackle Tommy Togiai in the fourth round.
Tommy Togiai is staying in Ohio as a Brown! 😌 pic.twitter.com/Qgf6QdvGsL
— Barstool Ohio State (@BarstoolOSU) May 1, 2021
After that, Cleveland has plenty of other tackles who will be fighting for a roster spot during training camp.
Hopefully, Elliott will be able to take over the full-time tackle spot by Week 1.
Cleveland does have options in case Elliott does take longer to develop than expected.
Fans shouldn’t expect monster Pro Bowl numbers out of Elliott because that’s not who he is.
Instead, expect an intelligent player who is fantastic at stopping the run.
Elliott has the ability to get after the quarterback as well, but his best attribute is slowing down the rushing game for opposing offenses.
At the end of the day, Elliott might not become a Pro Bowl caliber tackle or even a full-time starter, but he should be able to contribute on the Browns roster on a weekly basis.
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