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Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns' Week 4 game against the Washington Redskins.
Defensive Line
Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
DL | Xavier Cooper | 42 | 68% | 2 assists (2 combined). 1 QH. |
DL | Danny Shelton | 41 | 66% | 3 assists (3 combined). |
DL | Jamie Meder | 38 | 61% | 3 tackles, 2 assists (5 combined). 1 pass defended. |
DL | Stephen Paea | 27 | 44% | 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). |
DL | Gabe Wright | 7 | 11% | 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 TFL, 1 pass defended. |
DL | Tyrone Holmes | 6 | 10% | No stats registered. |
I didn't think Danny Shelton had as visible of a strong performance this week. However, the early results from PFF say that the Browns' defensive line had a pretty solid day. Four of their top five graded defenders were from the defensive line (Paea, Shelton, Meder, and Cooper). Gabe Wright put his stamp on the game when he swallowed up back-to-back screen passes. Tyrone Holmes saw a decline in reps this week.
Outside Linebacker
Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
OLB | Emmanuel Ogbah | 38 | 61% | 3 tackles, 4 assists (7 combined). |
OLB | Corey Lemonier | 33 | 53% | 3 tackles (3 combined). |
OLB | Joe Schobert | 25 | 40% | 1 tackle, 3 assists (4 combined). |
OLB | Cam Johnson |
17 | 27% | 3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined). 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH, 1 FF. |
Despite being downgraded to doubtful on Saturday, Corey Lemonier ended up suiting up and played 53% of the snaps. The big story was the performance of Cam Johnson, though, who is going to make it very tough for the Browns to send him right back to the waiver wire now. Yes, it's true that he was unblocked on one of his sacks, but it was also great timing and he absolutely drilled Cousins. On the other play, he never gave up pursuit and also planted Cousins' shoulder into the ground.
Inside Linebacker
Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
ILB | Christian Kirksey | 62 | 100% | 4 tackles, 3 assists (7 combined). |
ILB | Demario Davis | 62 | 100% | 1 tackle, 4 assists (5 combined). |
ILB | Tank Carder |
7 | 11% | No stats registered. |
After three pretty good games, the inside linebackers struggled against the Redskins, with PFF ranking Christian Kirksey and Demario Davis as having below average grades against the run. Davis also missed at least one tackle and didn't seem to fare so well in coverage (a vulnerability of his coming into the season).
Safety
Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
S | Jordan Poyer | 62 | 100% | 4 tackles, 2 assists (6 combined). |
S | Derrick Kindred | 58 | 94% | 2 tackles, 3 assists (5 combined). |
As much as we like the hard-hitting nature of Derrick Kindred, you can tell he's still making quite a few mistakes. When Ibraheim Campbell is ready to return, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him back in the starting lineup.
Cornerback
Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
CB | Joe Haden |
60 | 97% | 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined). |
CB | Jamar Taylor | 59 | 95% | 5 tackles, 2 assists (7 combined). 1 INT, 1 pass defended. |
CB | Briean Boddy-Calhoun | 35 | 56% | 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH. |
CB | Tracy Howard | 3 | 5% | No stats registered. |
I'm sure Joe Haden's groin injury was still bothering him, but he played the whole game through it. He committed two penalties when receivers went deep on him, but otherwise didn't seem to be targeted very much. Actually, for the Redskins having such a talented group of receivers, they didn't have very productive days against Cleveland's cornerbacks. I know Briean Boddy-Calhoun was embarrassed on one play by Pierre Garcon, but he came through with a nicely-timed sack later in the game. Jamar Taylor appeared to take over the nickelback role in nickel situations, as I predicted, with Boddy-Calhoun playing on the outside. Taylor had a big interception to help Cleveland get back in the game.