Just when everyone finally came to the realization that the Cleveland Browns ran a base 4-2 defense in 2019, the coaching scheme changes once again. This time around it won’t be as radical as going from Mike Pettine’s reactive 3-4 to Gregg Williams and his hyper-aggressive 4-3, but there will still be some alterations from Steve Wilks’ defense in 2019 to the scheme under new coordinator Joe Woods.
Like Williams in 2017-2018, Wilks loved to bring extra rushers. His Browns blitzed on over 38 percent of opposing pass plays, the fifth-most in the NFL. But he did so from a front that featured four linemen and just two LBs on the vast majority of snaps; the Browns didn’t have more than two LBs on the field for over 90 percent of the defensive snaps prior to Week 12.
That will not be replicated under Woods. While the new coordinator has roots with both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts in his stops, he comes from a 49ers defense that rushed four linemen — and only those four linemen — more than just about any other team. Under coordinator Robert Saleh, the 49ers blitzed just 20.8 percent of the time, the fourth-lowest total in 2019.
That fits the Browns defensive personnel with ends Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon, plus tackles Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi. It also fits the history of new DL coach Chris Kiffin, who has joined Woods in leaving San Francisco for Cleveland.
Kiffin is the son of Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL defensive mastermind who is the creator of the Tampa-2 defense. In that scheme, four attacking linemen would rush, with three swift LBs playing in zone coverage behind them, with safeties also in a zone. Woods has some history coaching defenses who deployed it, too.
While the Tampa-2 has faded from its heyday in the early 2000s, the underlying principles it relied upon do still have a place in the modern NFL. And with the linemen and swift LBs like Mack Wilson and Joe Schobert (if he’s brought back in free agency) already in place, Woods has the personnel to run his adaptation of it.
Other than needing to find a third LB, or keeping high-priced Christian Kirksey to run there (if he’s healthy), the Browns don’t need to dump players who are schematic misfits. The primary players all fit. It will require at least one safety upgrade and a more physical presence at outside CB than Greedy Williams, but the base 4-3 shouldn’t need much tinkering at all.
Of course, Woods also learned under the tutelage of Wade Philips and his 3-4 front. Philips’ defenses often relied on four rushers and heavier defensive ends to attack the weaker tackle. That’s something Garrett and Richardson have both proven they can do quite well. A blend of that style from a base 4-3 would be an exciting experiment from Woods and his assistants.