The Browns’ defense forced the Saints into some mistakes, living on the edge at times. It’s still frustrating to see them hold New Orleans without a touchdown for much of the game, only to allow back-to-back touchdowns in the final minute and then in overtime.
Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the [Cleveland Browns](/)’ Week 9 game against the New Orleans Saints.
DL
Mason Graham
52
69%
1 tackle, 3 assists (4 combined). 1 QH.
DL
Isaiah McGuire
51
68%
3 assists (3 combined).
DL
Jared Verse
43
57%
2 assists (2 combined).
DL
Mike Hall
38
51%
1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH.
DL
Sam Kamara
36
48%
1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined).
DL
Sam Williams
28
37%
1 QH, 1 pass defended.
DL
Derek Barnett
28
37%
1 assist (1 combined).
DL
Adin Huntington
23
31%
No stats registered.
* **Maliek Collins** was out this week, and Cleveland has turned what should’ve been a strength at defensive tackle into a bit of a weakness lately. The run defense just isn’t there.
* On a day where **Myles Garrett** finally returned for the Rams and had three sacks, I got to watch **Jared Verse** have a chance at a sack right in front of him, and not come up with it. Verse again ranked toward the bottom of the PFF grades for defenders, and also had an offsides penalty early on.
* Hat tip to **Adin Huntington** — even though he didn’t log a stat on defense, he forced a fumble on a punt return.
LB
Carson Schwesinger
75
100%
10 tackles, 5 assists (15 combined). 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 forced fumble.
LB
Quincy Williams
68
91%
5 tackles, 2 assists (7 combined).
* A week after **Carson Schwesinger** had one of his worst games, he came back with one of his best. He registered 15 tackles and had 2 sacks (both were chasing down **Tyler Shough** when he tried to take off). He also forced a big fumble at the goal line on **Jordyn Tyson**, and was the Browns’ highest-graded defender by PFF with a grade of 90.8.
CB
Tyson Campbell
75
100%
4 tackles, 3 assists (7 combined). 1 fumble recovery.
CB
Denzel Ward
73
97%
2 tackles, 3 assists (5 combined). 1 pass defended.
CB
Myles Harden
48
64%
4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined). 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QH, 1 pass defended.
CB
Mekhi Blackmon
5
7%
1 tackle (1 combined).
* It seemed like **Tyson Campbell** had a decent game to me, but his PFF grade suffered for poor run defense.
* **Denzel Ward** had a pass defended and was the Browns’ second-highest graded player by PFF, grading out to a 79.9.
* Are we going to see **Myles Harden** blitzing some more? He came free twice and got to Shough both times for sacks, and also knocked a pass away. He received a grade of 74.8 from PFF, third best on defense.
S
Grant Delpit
75
100%
3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined). 1 TFL.
S
Ronnie Hickman
74
99%
4 tackles, 5 assists (9 combined). 2 passes defended.
S
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
33
44%
2 tackles, 3 assists (5 combined). 1 TFL.
* So…at what point is something going to be said about **Grant Delpit’s** play? He has often been a silent liability this year, and was the team’s worst graded defender by PFF (32.1). Meanwhile, **Emmanuel McNeil-Warren** continues to be effective and active.
See More:
* [Cleveland Browns Analysis](/cleveland-browns-analysis)
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