Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry set the table for the team’s offseason plans in his season-ending press conference this week. One of the more important things Berry said related to the focus of where the on-field product needs the most help.
The defense.
While Cleveland’s offense efficiently finished in the upper half of the league in most metrics, the defense was in the bottom half almost across the board. And with several 2020 starters about to hit free agency, it’s a unit that is getting thinner as the offseason dawns.
It’s something Berry is acutely aware of, even if he diplomatically dodged directly answering the question about having his Browns focused on fixing the defense this offseason.
“It is a fair observation to realize that the resources this past year that we had going into this past fall were predominantly oriented to support the offense and support the quarterback, but that does not mean that we did not make some investments all across the team,” Berry said matter-of-factly. “We can have improvement anywhere. I understand that obviously we think we can certainly boost the defense as we go into 2021. It is probably too early to make any declarative or definitive statements, but certainly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team.”
Cleveland’s top five tacklers from 2020 — B.J. Goodson, Malcolm Smith, Terrance Mitchell, Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph — are all set to hit free agency. So are young DT Larry Ogunjobi and primary slot cornerback Kevin Johnson. Additionally, starting DE Olivier Vernon is recovering from a torn Achilles that ended his season in Week 17 and leaves his future in doubt.
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