The Cleveland Browns defense has major questions at linebacker. With veteran standout Joe Schobert now in Jacksonville and longtime leader Christian Kirksey in Green Bay, the group is very young. Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki are entering their second seasons, with rookie Jacob Phillips joining the fray.
Newcomer B.J. Goodson is the new established vet of the corps, if there is one at all. Goodson signed a one-year deal to join the Browns after a season with the Packers. The 2020 campaign will be his fifth NFL season, making him the greybeard of the precocious unit.
Goodson is ready to be the leader.
“To get these guys better, including myself, for us to be the best linebacker core across the league,” Goodson told reporters in a conference call on Thursday. “That is my job, and that is why they brought me here. I am looking forward to that. I am up for the challenge.”
He plans on filling the role vacated by Schobert in free agency, the MIKE position with an emphasis on coverage and pre-snap diagnosis. At least that’s Goodson’s plan,
“It is where I see myself playing. I love the middle linebacker spot. To be able to call it and to be able to be on both sides on multiple plays, I love playing in the middle.”
Goodson is hopeful that he can stick beyond one year in Cleveland, too.