For a team with an exceptional defense, the Cleveland Browns have surprising question marks at the heart of that unit: linebacker. So for a team with high aspirations, it makes sense to add a free-agent linebacker for the perfect move to fill out the roster before the 2024 training camp.
And the player that easily fits the project is Zach Cunningham, a 6-foot-3, 238-pound seven-year veteran. Cunningham peaked in 2019-20 when he racked up over 300 tackles across the two seasons. However, last year he bounced back with 85 tackles for the Eagles and proved he still has something left in the Sunday afternoon tank.
Cunningham wouldn’t walk onto this defense and dominate, but that’s OK. The Browns have players like defensive end Myles Garrett to take care of that business. But Cunningham could play a complementary role.
What could LB Zach Cunningham bring to the Browns’ defense?
Cleveland plans approach changes for it 2024 defense, and Cunningham could help implement them on the field. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz told clevelandbrowns.com that unit may dial it back a bit.
“We do what we do, and we try to do it really well,” Schwartz said. “But there were some things that we sort of held back last year, just from a standpoint that we sort of triaged it and said, ‘Okay, what can we reasonably expect to get good at to master in one offseason?’ So, we had to sort of pick and choose.
“But that now gives us a little bit of time because we don’t have to work on the fastball. Now, we can add different pitches. We don’t want to get away from the fastball, but it does give us a chance to work on changeups and secondary pitches and add to our scheme.”
One area the Browns must improve is Red Zone defense. Schwartz’s unit led the NFL in total defense allowed with 270.2 yards per game. It had the No. 1 pass defense with a stingy 164.7 yards a contest. And the Browns climbed to the top of the mountain in third-down percentage with teams managing to convert only 29.1 percent of their attempts.
But for all of that good, the Red Zone ranked rock bottom with a touchdown rate of 71.4 percent. Throw in the fact the Browns exited stage left from the playoffs with a humbling 45-14 loss to the Texans in the wild-card round, and its clear something was missing.
“We have an expression on defense,” Schwartz said. “We call it, ‘don’t farm land that’s not yours.’ Hopefully we can learn from it and the next time we’re in that situation we can play better as a result.”
Cleveland’s strong defense still needs help
Jordan Hicks came on board to play alongside Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, boosting the linebacker position. But depth is a problem.
The Browns took a chance on Devin Bush and drafted Nathanial Watson in the sixth round. They hope to fill the void left by the departure of Sione Takitaki. Tony Fields is in the final year of his contract, and Mohamoud Diabate made the team as an undrafted free agent last year.
If Cleveland wants to mix it up, postseason style, with Kansas City, Buffalo and others, sure-handed tackling is a prerequisite. It’s true that teams really can’t have enough of this specialty on hand. So adding Cunningham is an important step toward postseason progress.
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