Cleveland entered the season fresh off one of their best defensive showings in Browns’ history, finishing the 2023 NFL season ranked among the best in multiple NFL categories.
The strength of last season’s defensive unit started up front as the team deployed one of the league’s best pass-rushing groups.
Injuries and trades have changed that in 2024, however.
Cleveland shipped defensive end Za’Darius Smith to Detroit for draft picks, and young players like Alex Wright and rookie Mike Hall are on the Injured Reserve (IR) list with ailments that have them sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Still, the Browns’ front four are among the league’s best this season according to PFF.
PFF ranked every NFL defensive line ahead of Week 13’s matchups, selecting the Browns as the fifth-best unit.
5. Cleveland Browns 💪
Ranking all 32 defensive lines ahead of Week 13:https://t.co/UHYQW5rpRp
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) November 30, 2024
Cleveland’s fearsome foursome starts with Myles Garrett.
Garrett – who earned the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award for Week 12 – has six sacks over his past three games, including a three-sack performance against the Steelers last week.
For the season, Garrett has 10 sacks, ranking third among all NFL players in that category.
The interior of the line is held down by defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, a veteran who is in his second season with Cleveland.
Tomlinson’s stats are not flashy, yet the 30-year-old has 18 tackles and three sacks in 2024 and is a major reason the Browns have a strong unit.
Cleveland returns to the field in Week 13 against a team with a similarly strong unit, heading out west to take on the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
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