Fraser saw very limited time last year, but in camps this year he has looked much more comfortable than at any point last year. Oshinowo is a classic 3-4 NT: big-bodied and wide framed, with an explosive burst of the snap to push an offensive lineman backwards. He should be something special in years to come.
Linebacker: The additions of Willie McGinnest and Kamerion Wimbley bring this unit from a fringe 3-4 LB corps to a very solid one. McGinnest is a very cagey veteran with a lot of experience in Crennell's defense, and his presence will lower the learning curve of the rookie Wimbley, a converted DE who the team hopes will enjoy the same successes as Shawne Merriman and DeMarcus Ware did last year in the same roles for their teams.
While those two bring considerable pressure off the edges, inside men Andra Davis and rookie D'Qwell Jackson look to be disrupting plays at and near the line of scrimmage. Davis is one of the most under-rated linebackers in the NFL, and has been among the best inside men in the league the past three years. An aggressive attacker of the line of scrimmage, he will fill the strongside position inside.
Jackson is smaller than the typical 3-4 inside 'backer, but he plays bigger than he is and is lightning-quick. He showed an ability to pick his way through holes on the blitz at Maryland with ease, and is very good in coverage. He will fill the weakside job in a role designed much like how San Diego uses Donnie Edwards and how Crennell used Tedy Bruschi in New England.
The reserve linebackers are not short in talent themselves. Rookie Leon Williams and fourth-year veteran Chaun Thompson are versatile, able to swing inside or outside as needed. Both are able pass-rushers, can disrupt the line of scrimmage, and cover running backs and tight ends effectively. Sixth-year vet Matt Stewart can play the strongside spot outside, attacking the line of scrimmage or dropping back as an effective cover man.
Other reserves include Nick Speegle and David McMillan, both outside linebackers in the 3-4, and both are talented special-teamers.
Secondary: Cornerback may be the weakest position on the team. Gary Baxter has had difficulty staying fully healthy, and is ideally a No. 2 corner for most teams. Daylon McCutcheon has also had difficulty not getting dinged, and he's aging and slowing down. Beyond them, the Browns really only have a bunch of nickle and dime players who would and will struggle in a larger role.
Those nickle and dime guys include Leigh Bodden, Ralph Brown, Antonio Perkins, and Demario Minter (currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list). Perkins could wind up being a good #2 corner some day, but right now he should not play outside the slots. Brown, a seventh-year veteran, has proven on numerous occasions that he has very little ability as a #2 corner, and can be easily enough exposed as a nickle guy as well.
Bodden is as pure a nickle corner as you can get in this league, smallish, fast, and a good leaping ability. He's actually gotten a number of starts over the years forced by injuries, most notably his eleven games last year after Baxter went down for the season. He was also abused time and again. He registered 57 tackles, but the problem was that most of them were ten and fifteen yards downfield after a catch. Inside, though, he may be one of the better nickle men in the league.
At safety, the Browns have a fairly talented group. They will likely use a rotation of Sean Jones, Brodney Poole, and Brian Russell, depending on down and distance. Jones and Poole are both the long and lean types with well above-average cover skills that teams have been holding as the ideal free safeties in recent years, and Poole also has the hitting ability and tools needed to play close to the line as a strong safety. Russell is able in coverage and thrives closer to the line of scrimmage as a strong safety.
The only safety likely to make the team past those three is Justin Hamilton, a seventh-round rookie who's picked up the defense at a much faster rate than expected and who can play very well on special-teams units.
Overview
The Browns could be one of the most-improved teams in the league this season, but realistically they are a year away from contention due to a tough schedule. The six games against their division will be tough as always, with each team always playing each other as though the Super Bowl is on the line, no matter what their records are. Tough road games against Carolina, Atlanta, and San Diego face the new-look Browns, and they have some tough ones at home, too, with potential playoff contenders like Tampa Bay, Denver, and Kansas City coming to town. It could be a long year, but if the team as a whole improves as expected, the Browns could surprise some people and compete for the playoffs late into the year.
