Browns roster: DE Alex Wright the forgotten man?

The defensive line is the key to Jim Schwartz’s scheme

The Cleveland Browns last year ruled on the defensive side of the ball. If you could point to the one best signing going into 2023, it was the hiring of Jim Schwartz who replaced Joe Woods as the defensive coordinator. At season’s end, Schwartz was named the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

The hallmark of a Jim Schwartz defense is the defensive line. He is famous for bringing forward several defensive linemen and making them household names.

Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox with the Philadelphia Eagles. Albert Haynesworth and Kevin Carter of the Tennessee Titans.

DE Myles Garrett has been in the league since 2017 with an annual reputation as one of the NFL’s finest, yet was never officially declared the best. Is it a coincidence that as soon as Schwartz took over an entire season Garrett earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award?

Part of the plan is to not only have studs at each position but to have a good group as rotational chess pieces.

The offensive and defensive line is unlike any other positions on the field. These guys engage in contact each and every play. No other position does this constantly during a game. And because of the constant tugging and pulling among large men, players get tired and need a moment to catch their breath. The better the backup, the more time the starter can chill on the sideline, get hydrated, and maybe check their TikTok account or watch cat videos.

Along with Garrett, the Browns featured seasoned veteran Za’Darius Smith (ZDS) at the right defensive end. ZDS came to Cleveland via a trade last year as a highly publicized mega sack master. He didn’t come cheap as he inked a one-year contract for $11.71 million and was re-signed this year on a two-year deal worth $23.5 million.

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Backups include Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Alex Wright, with Sam Kamara, Isiah Thomas, and Isiah McGuire on the third team.

How did the Browns get each of these players?

Wright was a third-round draft pick out of UAB in 2022. Ogbo was signed away from the Houston Texans in last year’s free-agent period with a three-year deal worth $19 million. Kamara has been a practice squad player off and on for the past two years. McGuire is a former First Team All-SEC member drafted in Round 4 of the 2023 draft. Thomas was taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft.

The Wright way

Along the way, besides Garrett, the player that really stood out last year was Ogbo (6’-2”, 250 pounds). At the beginning of the season, his playing time was limited to around a quarter of playing time. But towards the middle of the season, he began to get more and more defensive snaps. At season’s end, his stint had increased to 41.9% of snaps (445 total).

He finished the season with 4.5 sacks playing a part-time job. He also had 31 tackles, eight QB hits, and 12 tackles for loss.

On a parallel trek, Wright (6’-5”, 267 pounds) was the other backup listed on the depth chart behind Za’Darius Smith and initially was first off the bench in every game. As a rookie, he was labeled a project but played more than expected when injuries to Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney mandated his presence. Wright ended up playing the second most snaps for the entire season behind Garrett. This gave him more snaps than Clowney and Chase Winovich, two players who were considered key components to the defense.

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This gave Wright experience early as he netted five sacks. Not that Wright had an exceptional rookie season – he did not and mostly his play wasn’t pretty. Overall, his season could be labeled as fair with sometimes poor to a few games overly decent. His Pro Football Focus grade was a very low 54.8 while his pressure rate was a paltry 3.8%.

He was supposed to set the edge, but oftentimes got caught up inside which allowed the contain to completely be dissolved which opened up the outside lane to large gains. As the season rolled along, Wright no longer was the first one off the bench. That distinction became Ogbo who filled that role.

So going into 2023, there were positive expectations for Wright. He had a great training camp and there were multiple articles written praising his play. He was viewed as a run-stopper with some pass-rushing abilities.

The Browns wanted Wright because he had size and with his 34” arms were blessed with great reach. He was also viewed as a raw prospect who needed some seasoning and instruction. He was productive in college despite playing in a lesser conference against schools that only dreamed of being ranked. Wright had also played very well when UAB went against the University of Georgia which would go on to capture the National Championship.

Wright will need to work on his pass rush as he is decent at stopping the running game and currently is considered his best trait. He doesn’t need to be great at rushing the passer and actually get to the quarterback, as long as he can deflect passes and put decent pressure on the signal-caller.

Going forward, Wright will need to show a greater degree of improvement. Is there some urgency here? Perhaps. He does not have the versatility to move inside so he must show value at defensive end or his place on the roster could be in jeopardy.

He has the size Schwartz requires and covets. But there are players behind him such as Thomas and especially McGuire who are itching to overtake Wright as the primary backup to ZDS and receive more snaps. McGuire has been playing well and has explosive strength.

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What the Browns need are four defensive ends to play every game. They understand that the two backups will have some dropout in talent, but not to the dismay of the defense while the starters are resting on the sidelines for a few plays.

It is the hope that Wright can cement his place as a dependable run-stopper who can put some pressure on the offensive backfield. The coaching staff really likes him and he would become a huge plus if he continues to develop.

But if Wright continues to struggle, his playing time will not only become limited, but other players may become the second one off the bench instead.