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Cleveland Browns post-bye week defensive questions: JOK, young defensive lineman
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- Cleveland Browns post-bye week defensive questions: JOK, young defensive lineman
BEREA — The Browns ' bye week fell at just past the exact midpoint of the season. That they're 2-7 at that point isn't irrelevant at all.
All that record at the bye does is change how the second half of the season could play out for the Browns . More importantly, one of the big things they need to gain from the final eight games of the season is an idea on a handful of players or positions to help provide a blueprint for the offseason.
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Of course, general manager Andrew Berry insists that doesn't mean tanking on Sundays. It just means seeing certain players step up their games, or not.
"Our primary focus every week is going to be to win regardless of who is on the field," Berry said during his bye week news conference Wednesday. "I think probably for every team, no different for us, there is going to be some natural transition every season, almost really regardless of your record where there are players on the roster that get the opportunity for more of an expanded role. …
"But the reality is anytime that we have a player take on an expanded role, whether they're a young player or whether they're a midyear vet, we're doing it with the idea that they're going to help us win games, if it's their first time in the role that they'll improve as they go and help us win games moving forward. But the primary focus is really to drive winning results."
Previously, three big offensive questions were addressed. What follows is a look at some of the biggest defensive questions for the Browns going into the final eight games of the season.
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What is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah 's outlook following neck injury?
Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) is hauled off on a stretcher during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Maybe the Browns player having the best season despite the record was linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The fourth-year pro out of the University of Notre Dame was leading the team in combined tackles (60), solo stops (38), assisted tackles (22), interceptions (one) and tackles for loss (10) at the time of his unfortunate neck injury suffered in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens .
Owusu-Koramoah had movement in his extremities when he was taken to the hospital during the game. He's been back — walking, it should be pointed out — in the team's headquarters in the week since the injury.
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Still, the Browns ultimately put Owusu-Koramoah on the injured reserve list a week ago. That means the earliest he could potentially come back would be the Week 14 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers .
The Browns are typically tight-lipped about the most benign of injuries. An injury such as Owusu-Koramoah's, which can have serious long-term problems associated with it if not handled the correct way, could mean the rising star of the defense doesn't return for the rest of the season, or only is out for the rest of November.
Who steps up at defensive end opposite Myles Garrett after Za'Darius Smith trade?
Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (3) is stripped of the ball by Cleveland Browns defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) on Sept. 29, 2024, in Paradise, Nevada.
When last everyone saw the Browns on the field, they had Za'Darius Smith lined up at the defensive end spot opposite superstar Myles Garrett. The next time they'll be on the field, Nov. 17 at the New Orleans Saints , Smith won't be there, having been traded at last Tuesday's deadline to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions.
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The Browns are still going to need to start a defensive end opposite Garrett against the Saints, and everyone else left on the schedule. What the Smith trade does is provide multiple relatively young ends a chance to grow and impress.
Ogbo Okoronkwo, who isn't exactly "young" at 29, has two sacks already this season, and would be the No. 1 candidate to start in Smith's place. He's not quite what's been looked for here, though.
Alex Wright, who's been on the injured reserve since October shoulder surgery, would've been a prime candidate if he had been healthy. He's not, but second-year pro Isaiah McGuire most certainly is healthy and, with 0.5 sack and a forced fumble already this season, is going to get more chances.
What does 2nd-round pick Mike Hall Jr. do with final 8 games of rookie season?
Second-round defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was a player the Browns had high hopes on seeing what he could do coming into training camp. However, Hall's mid-August arrest on a domestic violence charge, which was eventually pleaded down to disorderly conduct a month later, led to him missing the first five games and not being able to practice the first month and a half.
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Hall's been playing catch-up since returning in Week 6 at the Philadelphia Eagles . The Streetsboro High School and Ohio State University product has played 25 defensive snaps in three of his four appearances and 26 in the other, with five combined tackles, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss.
It would stand to reason that Hall is one of the prime players under a microscope by the coaching staff and front office over these final eight games. They want to see as much progress as possible from him to make his rookie season not a complete loss after what he did off the field.
Hall is behind veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris , who weren't ultimately traded at the deadline. Will he take some of their snaps away, or will they stick to the plan as it has been so far?
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns post-bye week defensive questions to answer
