Cleveland Browns: Just how much help does the secondary need?

While the Cleveland Browns offense excelled in 2020, the secondary was a glaring issue. But how big of an issue was it, who is to blame and can it be fixed?

While first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski seems to have created an offensive juggernaut with the Cleveland Browns, the entire 2020 NFL season was marred by defensive woes. The issue? Well, the blame is hard to place.

While Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt literally ran the offense this season, the defensive side of the ball was manned by former San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Joe Woods. Prior to working with the Browns, Woods helped lead San Francisco to a 13-3 season and a Super Bowl berth.

Under Woods in 2019, the 49ers defense allowed an average of 178.8 passing yards per game. This season under Woods, the Browns defense allowed an astonishing 265.4 passing yards per game to opposing teams.

Who is to blame for the Cleveland Browns’ secondary woes?

A combination of factors is to blame for the Browns’ abysmal pass defense. To begin with, most of Cleveland’s starters in the secondary missed five or more games.

Pro-Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward missed three games, including a last-minute shootout loss against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. The team was also without rookie first-round safety Grant Delpit and second-year cornerback Greedy Williams all season.

Cleveland was forced to rely on seven-year veteran Terrance Mitchell and practice squad corner Robert Jackson alongside strong safety Ronnie Harrison and free safety Andrew Sendejo (the former being traded to Cleveland a week before the start of the regular season).

The result? A secondary plagued by dropped interceptions, lack of coverage, costly penalties and missed tackles. Between the lack of star power and roster inconsistency, the Cleveland Browns secondary never found its identity.

But the blame is not all to be placed on the talent. Woods’ defensive play-calling was unrecognizable from years prior when he was calling plays for the likes of Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib in Denver, a secondary that helped lead the Broncos to Super Bowl 50.

Is there hope on the horizon for the Cleveland Browns secondary?

Not all hope is lost for Joe Woods and the Cleveland Browns secondary. While there is room for criticism, it must be mentioned that Woods had not time with the defense before the season due COVID-19 restrictions and the absence of OTAs and pre-season games.

Given time, it is possible that Woods can fix the Browns struggling secondary. Between 2006 and 2013, Woods was the defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings. In his time with the team, former Vikings corner Antoine Winfield Sr. was selected to the Pro-Bowl three consecutive years. Woods worked his magic again in 2013, helping Xavier Rhodes set a then-record for 23 passes defensed.

If the Cleveland Browns play their cards right in the 2021 NFL Draft and Joe Woods is given enough time with a fully-healthy secondary, look for the Browns to make massive strides this upcoming season.