Browns Defense Is Struggling Without Myles Garrett

When the Browns traded Myles Garrett this offseason, it was expected that the defensive line would regress. The Browns were 4th in the NFL in pressure rate last season, and while they did look better in week two against Tampa, they’ve still been one of the worst units in the league at generating consistent pressure.

Currently, the Browns are 27th in pressure rate, 20th in sack rate, and, in turn, their opponent success rate is 48.7%, good for 4th-worst in football. Essentially, the Browns defense was elite in 2025 because they made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, and that just isn’t happening in 2026.

There are a few reasons for this downturn; some can be fixed, while I’m not sure others can be during the regular season. Garrett’s heir apparent at defensive end was supposed to be Jared Verse. He has only one pressure over his first two games and has earned a 54.5 defensive grade according to PFF, which ranks him 86th out of 112 qualified edge defenders.

I think a lot of these early struggles can be chalked up to a difficult adjustment for Verse. He was more of a stand-up edge for the Rams under Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Chris Shula, and has transitioned into a more traditional edge role in Cleveland. I still believe in Verse, and I’m sure the Browns do as well. Verse is only 25 years old, which is quite young in football years, and has time to adjust to Mike Rutenberg’s 4-3 defensive formation.

If not, the Garrett trade would be a bit of a disaster for Cleveland. Garrett was traded for Verse, one first-round pick, and two other later-round picks. Cleveland needs Verse to play like a first-round talent, and I expect that to happen as the year goes along.

However, a transition period may not be the fix in Cleveland. The Browns had the 5th-best defensive EPA/play last year, and a lot of that stemmed from a well-coached defense led by Jim Schwartz.

While I was impressed with Todd Monken's second-half adjustments on offense, the defense was sort of reeling until the rain delay. Baker Mayfield struggled in his revenge game, missing many opportunities downfield. Not only did Mayfield struggle, but the Buccaneers might also take a big step back on offense this year.

Mike Evan has been sorely missed for Tampa Bay, and that showed, as Baker was just 6/17 on passes 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Not only that, but 8 of Mayfield’s 21 completions came at or behind the line of scrimmage. Even then, he missed a ton of big plays downfield, something that the Browns thrived at shutting down last year.

Lastly, the Browns have to clean up the penalties. They’re currently 25th in total penalties, and that is killing them on both sides of the ball. A penalty for this offense is a death sentence, which, in turn, puts their defense in a more difficult position. The defense has also struggled with penalties and has to be a top priority for Monken and his coaching staff.

Cleveland's defense isn’t as dominant as the 2025 version, but still has the pieces to be one of the better units in the league. They need to find ways to speed up Bryce Young in week three, or the home opener might resemble their poor performance in the season opener against Jacksonville.