Browns to face 13 of PFF’s top 32 RBs this fall

The Cleveland Browns made moderate improvements in defending the run during the 2023 season under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Cleveland improved 14 spots to finish 11th overall in rushing yards allowed, cut the number of rushing touchdowns from 22 to 15, and shaved almost half a yard on the average run.

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Most importantly, the days of defensive coordinator Joe Woods standing around doing seemingly nothing while opposing offenses rolled up 150 or more rushing yards - which happened eight times in 2023 - were put to rest.

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It wasn’t always perfect last season, but heading into year two of Schwartz’ system should result in continued improvement, which will be beneficial as the Browns will face 13 of the top 32 running backs in 2024, according to the rankings by Pro Football Focus.

Starting with the AFC North Division, the Browns will face Derrick Henry (No. 2 overall) of the Baltimore Ravens, and Jaylen Warren (No. 19) and Najee Harris (No. 22) of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If the Ravens follow through on their stated plan to feed Henry the ball, the Browns will be more than accommodating as in five career meetings Cleveland has helped Henry to just one touchdown and an average of just 3.07 yards per carry.

Looking at the rest of the AFC, Cleveland will face Travis Etienne (No. 11) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Raheem Mostert (No. 13) and De’Von Achane (No. 18) of the Miami Dolphins, Isiah Pacheco (No. 15) of the Kansas City Chiefs, Gus Edwards (No. 31) of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Zamir White (No. 32) of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Individually, no player in the group instantly stands out as a problem, although Mostert did average 8.13 yards per carry and score a touchdown the last time he faced the Browns. And with the Dolphins also boasting a passing game featuring Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, any matchup with Miami brings about concerns.

Moving to the NFC, the Browns will find Saquon Barkley (No. 6) of the Philadelphia Eagles, Alvin Kamara (No. 21) of the New Orleans Saints, Austin Ekeler (No. 29) of the Washington Commanders, and Devin Singletary (No. 30) of the New York Giants.

This will be the first time the Browns will meet up with the “generational talent” of Barkley, so it is Ekeler who poses a real threat. In four career games against Cleveland, Ekeler has averaged 7.23 yards per carry, scored five combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, and averaged more than 100 yards of combined offense per game.

The Browns made some improvement in defending the run last season and they will need to take another step in the right direction in 2024 as they will be seeing plenty of the league’s top running backs on the schedule.