Breaking down the coverages that Jim Schwartz used to stymie AFC North opponents in 2023

Taking a look at the Browns’ coverage choices against divisional teams in 2023

The Cleveland Browns had one of the best pass defenses in the league in 2023, and Jim Schwartz was the brainchild of it all. Along with the assistance of safeties coach Ephraim Banda and cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch, the Browns were able to counter most of what opposing offenses were trying to do through the air.

Though a good portion of the team’s defensive prowess came from the production in its front seven, the way that Schwartz used different coverage shells to thwart what AFC North offenses were trying to do is very fascinating.

Here’s a breakdown of Cleveland’s coverage selections and usage rates against each team.

It’s safe to say that Jim Schwartz is still very comfortable in shells that utilize a “single-high” safety lurking over the middle of the defense in cover-1 and cover-3. We’re going to dive into the reasoning behind why he used specific coverages against Cleveland’s three divisional opponents in 2023.

Cincinnati Bengals – Weeks 1 & 18

The defense was in a combination of C1/C3 for a total of 68.1% of snaps against the Bengals and for a good reason. The basic strengths of these shells are their deep-middle coverage, strong safety/overhang run support, and exotic blitz potential.

The Bengals had a plethora of weapons to work with, especially in the first matchup. Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd are dangerous players and Cleveland’s game plan was to try and limit explosive plays and attempt to keep everything in “front” of them. By sticking with C1 and C3 for the most part, the Browns’ defense was able to limit the number of deep balls and explosive play opportunities that Cincinnati had access to throughout the game.

They sprinkled in some C2 and C6 as well to help negate seam routes and disrupt timing routes when the Bengals were passing the ball on 3rd and 5.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Weeks 2 & 11

It’s no secret that Kenny Pickett had a rough season for the Steelers in 2023, and some of his worst games of the year coincidently came against Cleveland.

Jim Schwartz decided to run even more C1/C3 against Pittsburgh because of Pickett’s inability to make specific types of throws. The Browns were able to keep Grant Delpit in or around the box for a good portion of the game to focus on stopping Najee Harris and the Steelers’ run game. Cleveland wasn’t scared of the passing attack, specifically anything vertical downfield.

Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson, and Greg Newsome were able to sit at the LOS and jam Pittsburgh’s receivers to help mess up the timing on Pickett’s go-to short to intermediate throws as well.

Baltimore Ravens – Weeks 4 & 10

The Ravens were undoubtedly the biggest divisional threat in 2023, and Cleveland was able to successfully split the series record at 1-1 on the season.

Heading into both games, the Browns had a fairly straightforward game plan on defense:

1. Keep Lamar Jackson in the pocket/behind the line of scrimmage
2. Limit the Jackson-to-Mark Andrews connection

One of the best ways to execute this strategy is to sit in C1/C3 and ensure that the strong safety either covers the tight end or “spies” Lamar Jackson, which is exactly what they did. It didn’t work as well against Baltimore in week 4 but Jim Schwartz made a few adjustments and completely erased Andrews from the game in week 10.

Cleveland also held Lamar Jackson to just 27 yards and 45 yards rushing in these matchups, which were some of his lowest per-game outputs on the season. They were able to do this by consistently keeping 7-8 players in the box with the strong safety walked-up.

Do you think Cleveland’s pass defense will be able to replicate this type of success in 2024? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.