It’s that time of the year where offseason rumors and draft speculation start heating up.
The Cleveland Browns do have a few areas of concern heading into the offseason.
The front office did a fantastic job of selecting talent during the 2020 NFL Draft.
General manager Andrew Berry added talent on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball during the draft.
This time around, the focus might be shifted to defense with the Browns offense already looking fairly stacked for the long haul.
The 2020 Draft
Last year, the Browns added Grant Delpit, Jacob Phillips, and Jordan Elliott to the defensive unit through the draft.
Obviously, Delpit has the highest ceiling out of the trio, but he missed the entire regular season due to an Achilles injury.
A significant and frustrating blow to the Browns defense before the season even began.
Luckily for Cleveland, head coach Kevin Stefanski believes Delpit will be ready to play by next season.
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he expects safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Greedy Williams to be back for next season. Neither played in the 2020 season because of injuries
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) January 18, 2021
Both Elliott and Phillips made an impact in 2020, but will likely remain as backup players heading into 2021.
Delpit has the most upside, but who knows how the Achilles injury will effect his play in the long term.
The Browns main focus last offseason was rebuilding the offensive line, which they successfully accomplished.
They added right tackle Jack Conklin through free agency and selected Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills with their first selection in the draft.
This offensive unit appears ready to compete, but there is still work to do on the defensive side.
All Defense Draft
On paper, this doesn’t sound like a bad idea for the Browns.
This wouldn’t be the first time that a team has selected all defense during the draft.
In fact, the Carolina Panthers accomplished this task last year.
They became the first time in the modern day era to select all defensive players.
#Panthers 2020 NFL Draft:
All defense!No. 7 Derrick Brown, DT
No. 38 Yetur Gross-Matos, DE
No. 64 Jeremy Chinn, S
No. 113 Troy Pride, CB
No. 152 Kenny Robinson, S
No. 184 Bravvion Roy, DT
No. 221 Stantly Thomas-Oliver, CBWhat are y’all thoughts?
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) April 25, 2020
This wouldn’t be an awful idea for the Browns considering they do need help on defense.
The Cleveland secondary looked horrendous last season, but that was partly due to the fact that both Delpit and Greedy Williams were lost for the season.
Also, the linebacker group looked rough throughout most of the year because the issue was never really addressed during the offseason.
The front office added Phillips, B.J. Goodson, and signed Malcolm Smith as well.
However, it wasn’t enough and is still an area of concern heading into the offseason.
Despite that, the Browns still need to add some depth on the offensive side of the ball.
Superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is coming off an ACL injury.
The trade rumors surrounding OBJ have been flying around since he arrived in Cleveland.
#Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr says it's always same thing/constant rumors re: Stephen A comments on saying he/Jarvis should ask for trade: "I'm here. I've got Baker's back. It's a one day at a time approach. It's all just background noise. Really don't have much to say about it."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) October 21, 2020
Honestly, the Browns don’t know what condition OBJ will be in after recovering from this injury.
There is also the fact that Beckham and quarterback Baker Mayfield has failed to form a connection on the field.
The Browns could look to move OBJ and add some younger receivers to their roster.
It’s worth noting that Cleveland doesn’t have much depth on the offensive line.
This could be something the team addresses in the middle or late rounds of the draft.
There can be an argument made that the Browns should go all defense.
The main focus should be on defense, but they still need to make a few additions on the offensive side as well.
I don’t think Brown go all D. They need to draft WR and OL.