Breaking down the Cleveland Browns’ dominant defense to start 2025
By
- Myles Garrett is receiving help: Garrett has played at an All-Pro level, but Maliek Collins, Adin Huntington and Mason Graham have formed a top-tier defensive front.
- An elite run-defense unit: Cleveland ranks first in team PFF run-defense grade, averaging the average lowest depth of tackle with very few negatively graded plays.
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
When the Green Bay Packers ventured to Cleveland to battle the 0-2 Browns, many expected a laugher. After all, Green Bay entered Huntington Bank Field fresh off of two stellar victories over the Lions and Commanders and was favored by over a touchdown against one of the league’s bottom feeders.
Instead of a green and gold stomping, the Browns prevailed with a shocking 13-10 upset — a result that could prove one of the least anticipated of the entire 2025 season. While Cleveland’s special teams excellence — catalyzed by a blocked field goal, then a game-winning 55-yard kick — is worthy of praise, the team’s defense really led the charge.
Indeed, that sentiment has held true through the first three contests of this season. The Browns’ defense sits first in overall PFF grade (88.0), 12th in EPA per play, third in success rate and eighth in scoring drive allowed rate. So, what’s behind this enormous turnaround?
The larger-than-life element that can’t be ignored is Myles Garrett’s continued excellence. The four-time All-Pro has maintained his superhuman level of play in 2025. Among qualified edge rushers, Garrett ranks second in overall PFF grade (91.4), second in PFF run-defense grade (87.3), first in PFF pass-rushing grade (92.0) and second in pass-rush win rate (29.3%).
Garrett wreaking havoc isn’t anything new; after all, he’s on his way to a fifth straight 90.0-plus overall mark. But, many prior Browns defenses haven’t been this stout despite fielding potentially the NFL’s best defensive player.
That’s where new contributors come into play. Although Garrett has proven capable of being a one-man wrecking crew, he’s had ample assistance along the Browns’ defensive line.
Maliek Collins has broken out with a 90.8 overall PFF grade, leading qualified interior defenders in pass-rushing grade (91.5) and pass-rush win rate (23.6%). Likewise, undrafted free agent Adin Huntington has generated two pressures on 21 pass-rushing snaps, and fifth overall pick Mason Graham has accumulated six pressures of his own accord. All told, Cleveland’s defensive line sits first in PFF pass-rushing grade and pass-rush win rate so far.
Consistent pressure can be the purveyor of a strong defense, but Cleveland has also been stout in multiple other levels. Through three games, Browns linebackers place fourth in overall PFF grade. Second-round pick Carson Schwesinger ranks second among all qualified defensive rookies with an 81.6 overall PFF grade, including a 69.1-plus mark in tackling, coverage, pass rushing and run-defense. Likewise, Devin Bush’s 88.2 overall PFF grade slots sixth among qualified linebackers, powered by permitting only 15 yards on 62 coverage snaps.
Although defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz hasn’t witnessed quite as stingy of a secondary, that unit has also been solid in and of itself. Six of the seven Browns to play over 60 coverage snaps this season have graded above a 62.5 mark in coverage. That includes stalwart Denzel Ward, whose 62.7 PFF coverage grade is still below his metric in each of the last two seasons.
Cleveland’s consistent pressure — ranking seventh with a 43% pressure rate — has certainly ignited most of its defensive prowess, but the unit has also been very disciplined. The Browns have contributed the fourth-fewest missed tackles and have also yielded only 15 explosive plays so far — the fourth-lowest in the league — with just three coming on the ground.
More specifically, Schwartz’s run defense deserves its own separate plaudits. The Browns are first in team PFF run-defense grade, with their 18 tackles for loss or no gain the fifth-most. Cleveland’s front seven has attacked the run well, with its 2.31-yard average depth of tackle the lowest in the NFL. Moreover, Browns defenders have received a negative run-defense grade on only 52% of run plays, tied for the third-lowest mark.
Maybe most impressive is that Schwartz hasn’t done anything extraordinarily radical, instead relying on his talented personnel. Cleveland’s 18.4% blitz rate is the second-lowest in the NFL, and its 12.9% stunt rate sits 27th. Along those lines, Schwartz has predominantly relied on Cover 1, running the look on 40.8% of coverage snaps — almost 8% higher than any other squad. Simply put, Schwartz has trusted his nearly unblockable pass-rush and played man coverage at the league’s highest rate behind it — and the results have spoken for themselves.
To put it succinctly: The Browns’ defense possesses arguably the league’s best defender, is consistently getting after the quarterback via multiple options, fields multiple highly graded players across the back seven, isn’t surrendering chunk plays and isn’t beating itself. That’s all a recipe for long-term success, even if some regression is inevitable.
It’s not as if Cleveland’s schedule has been a cakewalk, either. In Week 1, the Browns held Joe Burrow and the Bengals to -0.170 EPA per play and 17 points — then did much of the same to the Packers in Week 3, containing Jordan Love & Co. to -0.116 EPA per play with only one explosive rush. Although the Ravens amassed 41 points in Week 2, the Browns corralled Baltimore’s dynamic rushing attack to -0.265 EPA per play with -0.1 yards before contact.
Just two years ago, Schwartz’s bunch was among the premier in the NFL, ranking first in EPA per play and success rate. The Browns’ dominant defense vaulted the team to a surprising 11-6 record and playoff appearance, even though the offense sat only 28th in overall PFF grade.
With an even worse offense (32nd in overall grade, 30th in EPA per play), perhaps the same blueprint won’t fall into place for Kevin Stefanski in a do-or-die season. But if Cleveland’s burgeoning defense sustains this level of efficiency, the Browns could remain frisky — with a few more upsets looming up their sleeve.
