Cleveland Browns: Joe Woods’ defense is a major liability

The Cleveland Browns are now 3-3 going into Week 7, and at this time, it appears as if Joe Woods’ tenure as defensive coordinator is up.

The Cleveland Browns suffered a painful 37-14 loss against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday. The now 3-3 Browns enter Week 7 on short rest with a battered and bruised roster set to face the Denver Broncos. Yet, the one glaring issue of the team is named Joe Woods – and it might hold this team back.

Heading into Week 7, the Cleveland Browns’ defense now ranks 25th in the league. A team filled with A-list talent such as Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, John Johnson III, and Denzel Ward have allowed 149 points thus far to opposing teams, with an average of 307.7 yards/game.

After narrowly escaping their matchup with injuries to both Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt, among others, there is a clear need for the Browns defense to pick up the slack of a suffering offense. Yet, Joe Woods, the second-year defensive coordinator of the Browns, has yet to call a constant game plan resulting in success.

Cleveland Browns: Joe Woods’ defense is a major liability

The Cleveland secondary to date has looked confused and out of synch, and it has resulted in two weeks of back-to-back plays where opposing teams have broken off massive yardage resulting in scores (i.e. Mike Williams or the entire Arizona receiving room).

On a team that spent heavy cap space on John Johnson III and Troy Hill, and used high draft capital on Greg Newsome II and Grant Delpit, there is no reasonable explanation as to why the team has allowed 1,324 passing yards in six games.

To add salt to the wound, the Browns rank one of the worst in allowing third and fourth down conversions, many of which have allowed for plays resulting in game-killing touchdown drives.

Beyond the secondary, the Browns defensive line has yet to put in a consistent performance. While defensive end Myles Garrett currently leads the league with eight sacks, the front four have struggled to put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks to assist the secondary. With the talent available, there is no excuse for Joe Woods to not find an answer in order to help the team.

Between poor play calling – whether it be confused zone vs. man coverage or the lack of pass-rush – the Cleveland Browns have allowed far too many points and far too many yards for this team to make their way to the playoffs. When the Cleveland defense under former-DC Gregg Williams looks better (with less talent) than they do now, there is a glaring problem needing to be addressed.

Despite the Browns’ schedule lightening up the next three weeks, their offense is hurt – and hurt badly. As it stands, Joe Woods should be seen as a liability to the Cleveland Browns. The offensive needs to heal, and they will need to lean on the talent they have on defense to keep games within reach.

Players can be blamed for poor performances, but coaching philosophies are much harder to change. Practice for the defense and time to heal may mend a few wounds, but the inexcusable play-calling from Woods is not something that will change in the next 10 weeks of football.

Why the Cleveland Browns haven’t addressed the Joe Woods issue is beyond comprehension. Maybe head coach Kevin Stefanski is struggling to accept his misjudgment in coaching appointments. Maybe the front office truly thinks things can be fixed with what they have.

But regardless, anyone who has watched six weeks of Browns football knows the defense is a gaping wound on the franchise as it stands – and the only person to blame is Joe Woods.