Genard Avery has been conspicuous in his absence from the Cleveland Browns defense in 2019. After being a regular contributor as a sixth-round rookie in 2018, Avery has been a healthy scratch for almost the entirety of his second season.
When Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was asked what the pass rusher needed to do to get on the field on Sundays, Wilks threw a curveball for an answer. He blamed the NFL’s rules and asked the gathered media to help.
“I know there is a lot of speculation out there,” Wilks said, “but I think when you look at the big picture and when you talk about 53 guys, if you guys really want to try and help us out, I think you can petition to the league – I do not know if it will work – to where you may get all 53 guys up on game day. When you look at the big picture, sometimes it equates to special teams. It is not just defense and what we are trying to get done. It is really the big picture of the team.”
Teams are allowed just 46 active players for games, which means seven Browns — often including Avery this year — do not dress and cannot play.
The coach went on to indirectly note special teams and run defense are obstacles to the athletically limited Avery earning playing time, then praised the defensive end’s pass rush ability. Avery bagged 4.5 sacks in his rookie season playing as more of a stand-up OLB role in former coordinator Gregg Williams’ straight 4-3 defense. Wilks deploys a 4-2-5 scheme.
I agree with Wilks that the inactive list is an antiquated relic of a rule and serves no defensible purpose in today’s NFL, but the rules are what they are. It doesn’t change the fact that Avery cannot get onto the field in his defense.
