Cleveland Browns should target defensive tackle Mike Pennel

The Cleveland Browns have an opportunity to improve their defensive line by adding former New York Jets defensive tackle Mike Pennel.

In typical confusing New York Jets fashion, they’ve made a peculiar move and declined the option on their talented nose tackle, Mike Pennel, who is now a free agent. Seemingly cleaning house of the few players around Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams, the Jets let go of the 27-year old coming off an impressive season. The Cleveland Browns could use another nose tackle and a player like Pennel could not only address the issue, but give them a decisive advantage.

Larry Ogunjobi is the starting nose for the Browns and he’s been good and looks like he will only get better. Not only can he play the run, but he’s shown a real ability to rush the passer, which is a luxury at that position. The problem for Ogunjobi is he was overused to the point where he was run into the ground in 2018.

Ogunjobi was dominant the first quarter of the season, playing over 90 percent of the snaps in those games, including multiple overtimes. As the year went on, his effectiveness went down as his usage continued to be sky high. By the end of the year, he was gutting it out with a torn bicep. Ogunjobi deserves a ton of credit for doing it, but it was reckless by the Browns coaching staff and poor planning by management.

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They attempted to replace Jamie Meder with Carl Davis, who gave them nothing and played just 31 defensive snaps on the year. Pennel would not only rectify this situation but could give the Browns a dominant position group that is consistently fresh. Pennel played 358 snaps for the Jets, which accounted for 31.9 percent of their total defensive snaps and made the most of his opportunities,

Larry Ogunjobi finished out the year playing 79 percent of the Browns defensive snaps for the year. If Pennel were to sign with the Browns and play just 30 percent of the snaps, that would give Ogunjobi that much more rest and keep him fresh. Based on 2018, that would have meant Ogunjobi would’ve been spared a little over 100 more snaps on the season, which is over a game difference in terms of workload.

For the Browns, now a team with playoff aspirations, they can’t simply make it to the playoffs. They need their players fresh enough to be their best in January and February. That’s not going to happen as the line is currently constituted and rotated.

Pennel is a massive, who-gap running stop nose at about 330 pounds. Maybe the Browns have him drop a little weight to get him to be slightly lighter on his feet, but so long as he’s able to demand two blockers without giving up ground, he’s doing his job. That could mean that not only Pennel is taking snaps and enabling Ogunjobi to get some rest, it could also mean that Pennel is playing in more obvious running situations so that Ogunjobi is able to be more productive in passing situations.

Pennel spent his first two seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. The Browns obviously have multiple front office personnel who were in Green Bay at that time including Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith, so they should have some feel for him and might have been involved in acquiring him, could target him again.

New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks spent a few seasons with the Carolina Panthers and the Browns are studying those tapes in preparation for when they install. The Panthers had Star Lotulelei, who was a big nose tackle in his own right not unlike Pennel. Perhaps Wilks might have different preferences in terms of size when he has influence, but he had success with Lotulelei as his nose. That might suggest he could be interested in a guy like Pennel.

Pennel should be in his prime as he turns 28 in May. It’s not yet clear why the Jets declined what would’ve been just a $2 million option. Perhaps the new coaching staff and their new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams didn’t think Pennel would fit his scheme. The Browns could easily pay Pennel the money he would’ve gotten from the Jets, perhaps a little more to ensure they get him.

And because the Jets declined his option, he’s a free agent now as opposed to waiting until next month when free agency opens. Save whatever energy they are using currently on signing their own free agents like Breshad Perriman, Rashard Higgins, Greg Robinson and Briean Boddy-Calhoun, they can use any additional energy entirely on courting Pennel.

Larry Ogunjobi is a special talent with a rare skill set, so the Browns should do everything they can to maximize him. Signing a player like Mike Pennel would help accomplish it. It would cross one of their needs to address off their to-do list this offseason and not just address it, but perhaps give them the best duo in the conference.

They would still need defensive tackle help, but they could then focus all of their attention in free agency and the NFL Draft on upgrading their 3-tech position. Nose tackle would be squared away potentially for the next few years when the Browns are trying to make a run as a contender.