Cleveland Browns: 5 Thoughts on the Defense

5. Xavier Cooper is a 3-Tech

After seeing Cooper out at the 5-tech defensive end last year because they simply had nothing else to put there in relief of Desmond Bryant, the Browns seem to have Cooper at home, playing inside. Especially with the increased amount of even front looks, Cooper as their 3-tech gives them a lot of quickness and athleticism that can cause problems for opponents.

Cooper’s lack of length, both between his height and arm length, make it more likely that opponents will be able to reach him so that running plays or roll out passes to his side are more effective. Inside, this is no longer an issue and while not having long arms isn’t ideal, it puts his tremendous first step quickness back in the forefront.

The Browns best defensive front seemed to be having Nassib and Ogbah at the ends with Shelton and Cooper on the interior. The Browns tried to use both Jamie Meder and Stephen Paea to play a big defensive line to stop the run with questionable results. Cooper can really help the interior pass rush, especially if Shelton can keep playing the way he did, but Cooper’s ability to shoot gaps can also enable him to cause problems as a run stopper.

There’s a little more of a risk-reward with Cooper shooting a gap to try to stop the run, since if he’s wrong, the linebacker behind him is suddenly alone dealing with a guard. Meder and Paea are hoping to force opponents to double team them, although against the Eagles, they did too much catching. Perhaps deliberately to try to be conservative and contain the run, it didn’t prove terribly effective.

Next: Browns: Kwaun Williams Situation Raises Eyebrows

And Ray Horton is certainly not afraid to take risks and be aggressive. It will be interesting to see how the defensive line usage evolves depending on matchups and how they feel about the respective performances. The bottom line with Cooper is that he looks far more comfortable, far more effective inside.