CLEVELAND, Ohio — The conventional wisdom has always been that elite edge rushers need another star bookend opposite them to reach their full potential. But what if that thinking is outdated? The latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast challenges this notion, suggesting the key to unlocking Myles Garrett’s dominance might actually be what happens on the interior defensive line.
For years, the Browns have struggled to find consistent, disruptive defensive tackle play. That appears to be changing with the selection of Mike Hall in 2024 and Mason Graham in 2025 – and it could represent a fundamental shift in the team’s defensive philosophy.
“The Browns have thoroughly embraced that defensive tackle is sort of an ‘it’ position. It has become a premier position in the NFL,” Mary Kay Cabot explained on the podcast. “When they first showed up on the doorstep here, defensive tackle was somewhat of an afterthought.”
This evolution in thinking has led the Browns to invest heavily in the position, including using the fifth overall pick on Mason Graham – “incredibly high” as Cabot noted.
While the podcast initially discussed the need for another edge rusher opposite Garrett, Dan Labbe offered a compelling counter-perspective: “But I’ve always thought that Myles especially could benefit from better play on the interior than what he’s had.”
The reasoning is straightforward but profound. When quarterbacks face edge pressure, they typically step up in the pocket. But when interior pressure collapses that safe space, quarterbacks have “nowhere to go” – creating opportunities for edge rushers like Garrett to feast.
“And that could lead to 2, 3, 4 more sacks for Myles over the course of a season,” Labbe explained. “When a guy has Mason Graham bearing down on him and all of a sudden he runs to one side and there’s Myles Garrett just waiting for him.”
Ashley Bastock agreed, highlighting the mechanical advantage interior pressure creates: “If you have a really good guy on the inside and if you have two of them, it makes it that much harder because who exactly are you going to be doubling files with now if you can’t use one of your guard or whatever?”
The podcast hosts acknowledged there will likely be growing pains with the young interior linemen. As Bastock noted, “We know Mason Graham can get pressure, but he hasn’t played in a system like this, which is kind of exciting. But it also means there’s gonna be some growing pains.”
The strategic shift represents a potential solution to one of the Browns’ longest-running problems. As Bastock observed, “For me, looking at this regime, it’s D-Tackle and receiver, they’ve never quite been able to figure it out.”
If Hall and Graham develop as hoped, the impact could be dramatic – not just for Garrett, but for the entire defense. “If it works out like that in reality the way that they hope it does in theory, quarterbacks are going to have a hard time operating this year,” Cabot said. “Aaron Rodgers could have a hard time functioning against this defensive front. That’s the plan. And Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.”
Tune in to the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast to hear more about the Browns’ defensive line revolution and why interior pressure might be the missing piece in creating a truly dominant pass rush.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Orange and Brown Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.