2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 5-3
Browns defense
Every snap the Browns defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.02 EPA a play allowed, 13th of 32, and 0.01 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (14th).
- How they playThey blitz on 24% of dropbacks, the 28th-most in the league, and get pressure on 21%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.7 a carry, 28th, and runs outside left gain 6.1 a carry.
- Who hurt themParker Washington (JAX): 83 yards and +8.8 EPA on 6 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Saints, whose offense ranks 22nd in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.02 | 13th of 32 | 61st | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | -0.01 | 10th of 32 | 70th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.02 | 27th of 32 | 17th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 42% | 10th of 32 | 70th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 12% | 32nd of 32 | 2nd | |
| Yards per play | 5.3 | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| Yards per carry | 4.7 | 28th of 32 | 14th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 40% | 14th of 32 | 58th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 7.2% | 9th of 32 | 73rd | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 21% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 17% | 9th of 32 | 73rd | |
| INT rateper dropback | 2.1% | 13th of 32 | 61st | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 48% | 8th of 32 | 75th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.93 | 13th of 32 | 61st | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.3 | 19th of 32 | 42nd | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.01 | 14th of 32 | 58th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Browns. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 4 of 8 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 5 against the Jets, 0.25 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.01 a play elsewhere, the 14th-toughest schedule of offenses.
at JAXL 10-34+0.34usual +0.14
at TBW 23-19-0.15usual -0.09
vs CARW 21-18-0.12usual +0.07
vs PITW 27-24+0.07usual -0.04
at NYJL 12-17-0.18usual +0.08
vs BALW 13-10-0.09usual +0.04
at TENW 27-24-0.06usual -0.10at PITL 6-27+0.13usual -0.05Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep left: +0.68 EPA a throw against a league +0.34. The lockdown zone is deep right, -0.52 a throw (league +0.33). Completions against them run 1.0 points under expected, 13th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.7 yards a carry against them, 28th of 32. The leak is outside left: 6.1 a carry and +0.14 EPA (league 5.0, 0.00).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 18.116th | 137.913th | +0.2516th-toughest | 18.914th-fewest24.112th-fewest29.312th-fewest |
| Tight ends | 8.021st | 59.323rd | +0.1513th-toughest | 9.411th-most12.210th-most14.910th-most |
| Backs, receiving | 4.88th | 17.51st | -0.292nd-toughest | 17.616th-most19.316th-fewest21.116th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 13.58th-fewest13.58th-fewest13.58th-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Washington | JAX | 6 | 83 | 1 | +8.8 |
| Josh Cuevas | BAL | 5 | 44 | 1 | +6.5 |
| Darnell Washington | PIT | 10 | 121 | 1 | +6.4 |
| Garrett Wilson | NYJ | 11 | 104 | 1 | +6.3 |
| Pat Freiermuth | PIT | 8 | 53 | 2 | +5.9 |
| Ja'Kobi Lane | BAL | 5 | 40 | +5.7 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-4-to-6: offenses convert 41% against a league 44%. They are stingiest in 1st down (-0.06 a play, league +0.02) and weakest in 2nd down (+0.14, league +0.00).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 213 | -0.06 | +0.02 | -0.08 |
| 2nd down | 163 | +0.14 | +0.00 | +0.13 |
| 3rd down | 110 | -0.10 | -0.04 | -0.06 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 34 | 59% | 61% | −2 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 17 | 41% | 44% | −3 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 59 | 29% | 27% | +2 pts |
| Red zone | 77 | -0.03 | +0.03 | -0.06 |
| Two-minute drill | 66 | -0.08 | 0.00 | -0.08 |
| When they lead | 144 | -0.02 | +0.01 | -0.03 |
| One-score game | 380 | -0.03 | -0.01 | -0.02 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 83 | +0.02 | +0.03 | -0.01 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 24% of dropbacks and average 4.3 rushers; 76% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.12 EPA when they blitz and +0.04 when they do not.
They put 6.4 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 4%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.4 a carry; into eight or more, 2.0.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 6 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains -0.29 EPA against them on 23% of throws; screens -0.12.
28 defensive penalties for 194 yards, 15 of them first downs, the 26th-fewest. They miss 11% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 32nd-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Maliek Collins leads the pass rush with 9 pressures and 3.5 sacks on 62% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8Jared VerseDE | 66% | 4 | 6 | 4 | 17 | ||
| 57Isaiah McGuireDE | 63% | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 20 | |
| 96Maliek CollinsDT | 62% | 9 | 3.5 | 8 | 7 | 19 | |
| 98Adin HuntingtonDE | 45% | 8 | 3.5 | 9 | 2 | 20 | |
| 94Mason GrahamDT | 43% | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 | |
| 54Sam WilliamsDE | 37% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 23 | |
| 97Derek BarnettDE | 34% | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 51Mike Hall Jr.DT | 29% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 92Sam KamaraDT | 19% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| 53Chris WilliamsDT | 5% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Carson Schwesinger plays 100% of the snaps with 72 tackles and 1 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49Carson SchwesingerLB | 100% | 72 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 103.4 | 3 |
| 5Quincy WilliamsLB | 96% | 52 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 73.7 | 4 |
| 42Easton Mascarenas-ArnoldLB | 6% | 11 | ||||||
| 59Winston ReidLB | 1% | 6 | ||||||
| 40Nathaniel WatsonLB | 0% | 1 | ||||||
| 17Justin JeffersonLB | 0% | 1 |
Grant Delpit is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 61.4 passer rating on 27 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33Ronnie Hickman Jr.SAF | 99% | 21 | 15 of 21 | 194 | 4 | 103.9 | 1 | 2 |
| 21Denzel WardCB | 99% | 40 | 16 of 40 | 210 | 3 | 64.8 | 3 | 9 |
| 9Grant DelpitSAF | 88% | 27 | 14 of 27 | 177 | 61.4 | 1 | 4 | |
| 7Tyson CampbellCB | 80% | 23 | 17 of 23 | 255 | 100.9 | 3 | ||
| 26Myles HardenCB | 61% | 48 | 28 of 48 | 375 | 2 | 84.8 | 1 | 6 |
| 28Emmanuel McNeil-WarrenSAF | 42% | 9 | 2 of 9 | 25 | 1 | 61.1 | 3 | |
| 29Mekhi BlackmonDB | 20% | 18 | 8 of 18 | 91 | 61.9 | 2 | ||
| 24Daniel ThomasSAF | 5% | |||||||
| 20Noah IgbinogheneCB | 2% | 2 | 2 of 2 | 37 | 118.7 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.