It’s time for Browns fans, and the media who cover the team, to forget about the concept of a base 4-3 defense. Based on new coordinator Steve Wilks’ schematic history, the team will play with four defensive lineman and three linebackers on the field less than any other team.
That was the case last year in Arizona, where Wilks was the head coach. According to data and research from Football Outsiders, his Cardinals had seven players in the front on just 10 percent of all defensive snaps. That’s the lowest figure in the league, a modern NFL where the average for all teams is just 25 percent of the time in the so-called “base” defense.
Wilks and his Cardinals were in nickel (five DBs) an astonishing 84 percent of all snaps. By comparison, the 2018 Browns were in nickel just 66 percent of the time, a figure that ranked them 15th. Interestingly, those Cardinals were in dime just five percent of the time, That’s still more than the Browns at one percent, but falls outside the top 10 in using six or more defensive backs.
How much of that will change in Cleveland? The Browns do have two established quality starters at LB in Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert. Cleveland also drafted Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson and signed free agent Adarius Taylor to reinforce the depth chart this offseason.
However, the safety position features three players the team appears bullish on in Damarious Randall, free agent signee Morgan Burnett and Jermaine Whitehead, who was the talk of minicamp. Cornerback has a solid top three in Denzel Ward and top draft pick Greedy Williams on the outside and veteran T.J. Carrie in the slot, with experienced depth in Terrance Mitchell and Eric Murray too.
No matter the ratio, expect three linebackers to be on the field far less often under Wilks than predecessor Gregg Williams. The Browns ranked 7th in most snaps in base defense with a combination of seven DL and LBs on the field.
