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Browns’ defensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 12

Cleveland’s defense couldn’t get to Mike Glennon for a sack.

By Chris Pokorny
NFL: NOV 29 Browns at Jaguars

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 12 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Defensive Line

Pos Player Plays % Stats
Pos Player Plays % Stats
DL Olivier Vernon 63 97% 2 tackles (2 combined). 2 QH.
DL Sheldon Richardson 50 77% 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 pass defended.
DL Larry Ogunjobi 50 77% 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined).
DL Adrian Clayborn 56 86% 1 pass defended.
DL Jordan Elliott 18 28% 2 tackles (2 combined).
DL Vincent Taylor 10 15% No stats registered.
DL Cameron Malveaux 10 15% 2 tackles (2 combined).
  • Even though the Browns didn’t register a single sack against the Jaguars’ lackluster offensive line, Olivier Vernon still had a solid day, according to PFF, grading out at the team’s best defender with a grade of 82.6. Vernon was also robbed of a fourth down sack late in the game that would have sealed it sooner.
  • Sheldon Richardson and Adrian Clayborn each had passes batted down against the lengthy Mike Glennon. Vernon and Clayborn each played a lot of reps at defensive end with Myles Garrett and Porter Gustin both on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
  • James Robinson had a very good day running the ball up the middle, and now we have an idea why: Larry Ogunjobi and Jordan Elliott both struggled, receiving grades of 48.7 and 39.8 from PFF. Elliott has previously received rave reviews from PFF, so that dropoff is pretty staggering.

Linebacker

Pos Player Plays % Stats
Pos Player Plays % Stats
LB B.J. Goodson 55 85% 5 tackles, 1 assist (6 combined). 1 pass defended.
LB Malcolm Smith 43 66% 5 tackles (5 combined).
LB Mack Wilson 33 51% 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 pass defended.
LB Jacob Phillips 11 17% 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).
LB Elijah Lee 1 2% No stats registered.
  • Despite Sione Takitaki being out, the team’s linebacker distribution seemed to be relatively the same. Based on the reps, it appears as though defensive coordinator Joe Woods went with an extra defensive back more times than not.
  • Mack Wilson and B.J. Goodson each tipped passes away.

Cornerback

Pos Player Plays % Stats
Pos Player Plays % Stats
CB Terrance Mitchell 65 100% 6 tackles (6 combined). 1 TFL.
CB Kevin Johnson 59 91% 3 tackles (3 combined).
CB M.J. Stewart 30 46% No stats registered.
CB Tavierre Thomas 25 38% 3 tackles (3 combined).
CB Robert Jackson 6 9% No stats registered.
  • Starting in place of Denzel Ward, Kevin Johnson received a grade of 48.7 from PFF.
  • Terrance Mitchell registered 6 tackles and had the team’s only tackle for a loss on the day, coming on a wide receiver screen pass that he broke up.
  • M.J. Stewart played 46% of the snaps while Tavierre Thomas played 38% of the snaps, so the Browns did indeed work both of them into the game instead of just sticking with one of them.
  • Robert Jackson also saw some limited action.

Safety

Pos Player Plays % Stats
Pos Player Plays % Stats
S Andrew Sendejo 65 100% 1 assist (1 combined). 1 pass defended.
S Karl Joseph 64 98% 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined).
S Ronnie Harrison 1 2% 1 tackle (1 combined).
  • We have ragged on Andrew Sendejo all season, but he had one of his better performances of the season — busted nose and all — against the Jaguars. Playing through injury, he defended a deep pass early on, helped knock away a two-point conversion, and received a grade of 71.1 from PFF.
  • Ronnie Harrison was stoked to face his former team, and he came on and made the tackle on the first snap of the game. Sadly, it was his only snap, and he missed the rest of the game with a shoulder injury.
  • That allowed Karl Joseph to play the remainder of the game in his place. Joseph finished with 5 tackles.

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