Cleveland Browns: What a difference Sheldon Richardson makes

Sheldon Richardson could provide the Cleveland Browns every bit of the impact on defense that Odell Beckham does on offense.

The trade for Odell Beckham Jr. has virtually taken up all of the oxygen and energy and understandably so. It’s a blockbuster deal where the Cleveland Browns get perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL and pair him with one of the brightest stars at quarterback in the league in Baker Mayfield. Whatever was left was focused on sorting out feelings on the acquisition of Olivier Vernon for Kevin Zeitler.

None of that changes the fact the Browns signed a big time player in Sheldon Richardson to address the biggest need the team had coming out of 2018 at the 3-tech defensive tackle.

People will look at his stats and his Pro Football Focus grade, which are fine, but may not really appreciate what he brings to the team. The 2013 defensive rookie of the year is a tremendous athlete that offers the ability to beat an opponent with speed or power. Richardson can split a double team, stop or chase down the run and he can kill the quarterback.

No one needs to create the play for him. He can do it himself and create for teammates. Compare that to 2018 where the Browns featured Trevon Coley as their starter. Coley was terrible and, in fairness to him, he never should’ve been in that position. He was never a starting caliber player and may not really be able to contribute as depth with where the Browns are now. Bless him for trying, but he never had a chance.

The difference from Coley to Richardson is akin to trying to start a fire rubbing two sticks together in the rain versus having kindling and a lighter on a dry day. One requires the exact conditions and effort to work and the other may not, but it won’t be for lack of the proper tools. The Browns added another firestarter, playmaker to a defensive line which already has four of them.

On the most basic level, the Browns prospective starting lineup of Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Olivier Vernon and now Richardson features four players that can make a play without help. Last year, much of the time they were relying on just Garrett and Ogunjobi with some occasional contributions from Genard Avery, a fifth round rookie.

Teams were able to consistently double team Myles Garrett without paying a penalty for it. Now, with Richardson, that comes with substantial risk. They can keep in a tight end or back to try to chip the other end, but they’re still looking at single blocking Ogunjobi and Richardson on the interior.

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Even if they aren’t able to beat the blocks and make the play themselves, they should be able to consistently alter the line of scrimmage. At the very least, they should muddy up the area in front of the quarterback, shrinking passing lanes and putting them in position to deflect passes. Add in the occasional blitz from Joe Schobert in the A gap and it’s incredibly difficult to account for everyone to keep the quarterback up right.

In reality, if Richardson and Ogunjobi start disrupting up the middle rushing the passer, teams are going to be forced to keep their center and both guards inside to block them, thereby leaving the ends singled up on offensive tackles. At that point, opposing teams will have to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands in one or three step drops or keep tight ends and backs in to help block.

Wilks will have as many as seven defenders in coverage at his disposal and be able to mix up his calls to try to confuse the quarterback and force a mistake. If the quarterback hesitates on a read, he may get decked. If he makes a mistake, he may put the ball at risk for a turnover. Regardless, the outcome is great for the Browns and the net result is forcing the opposing offense to execute at a high level to move the ball on them and score points.

When the defense is running on all cylinders, rather than the opponent having three or potentially four downs to keep the drive going, it will feel as if the Browns defense have three opportunities to decimate the opponent. A first down may feel more like a temporary reprieve than success.

Olivier Vernon is a better overall player, but Richardson might make the bigger impact for this defense. The 3-tech defensive tackle is closer to the ball, more difficult to scheme against and tougher to avoid. That’s why Aaron Donald is the best player in the NFL. It’s pretty much impossible to avoid him. Every play he’s on the field he has an impact. And while Richardson isn’t anywhere near Donald’s level as a player, the Browns need every all the impact he can provide.

The entire defensive line gets better while also making life much easier on Joe Schobert. Schobert was a good run defender in 2017. He didn’t forget how to play last year; the Browns had a major change in personnel in front of him that made it more difficult for him to operate. Rather than being able to look past the three as a minor obstacle, driving them to the second level and walling off Schobert, they have to deal with a very real threat in Richardson first.

In seven seasons, Richardson has missed just seven games, five of which were as a result of suspension; four in 2015 and one in 2016. Richardson can give the Browns about 70 percent of their defensive snaps. They still need to account for the remainder which hopefully comes in the next month or two.

Considering the black hole the Browns have had at that position the past few seasons, getting a player with Richardson’s skill set should be a revelation for their defense. Beckham and Vernon were bigger acquisitions but Richardson could be just as critical to the Browns success.