Seahawks will face a reloaded Browns pass defense Sunday

The Cleveland Browns got two nice upgrades in pass defense just in time to face the Seahawks. Both Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward are back.

The Seahawks take on the Browns this Sunday in what I originally saw as a trap game. As predicted, Seattle is coming off two straight division wins. The Browns haven’t played as well as I (or a lot of other people) expected. I believe this just makes them even more dangerous. What unequivocally makes them a better team is the return of two of the league’s better cornerbacks, Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward.

Yesterday I wrote about the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Browns. They’re just as likely to trample the opposition as to get trampled. Case in point was the Browns first game, a 43-13 shellacking courtesy of the Titans. Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota had an excellent game, but he didn’t exactly torch the corners. He had 248 yards passing, but 75 of those came on a screen to Derrick Henry on which the Titans buried the linebacker who had man coverage. Sure, Ward and Williams could have made more plays, but that loss can’t be pinned on them.

The Browns followed the 30-point loss with a 20-point win over the Jets. New York just managed 201 yards through the air, with nearly half the completions going to running back Le’Veon Bell. Cleveland didn’t manage to pick off any passes, but they did contain the Jets passing game. The Jets had punted the ball seven times and turned it over on downs twice. It was an excellent defensive performance for Cleveland and their corners.

That would be the last time either Williams or Ward took the field for the Browns. Both were injured in practice before their week three matchup with the Rams. In their absence, Cleveland played a solid game and picked off Los Angeles twice. On the surface of it, this would be an indictment on the Browns starting corners. Still, the Goff to Kupp connection burned them twice for touchdowns in a 20-13 loss. The backups were good, but not good enough.

The Browns came out with their Jekyll side in their dominating 40-25 win over the Ravens. The story here was Cleveland’s offense coming to life. Nick Chubb had 165 yards on the ground, while Baker Mayfield threw for 342. The defense did pick off Lamar Jackson twice, but I’d say his offensive woes stemmed more from Cleveland’s four sacks than the picks. Regardless, the Browns got reasonably good performance from their secondary for the second straight game.

The corners can’t be blamed for the 23-3 whipping the 49ers put on the Browns last week, either. San Francisco ran all over them as they piled up 275 yards. Jimmy Garoppolo only threw for 181 yards, but he did toss two touchdowns and avoided any turnovers. When your quarterback only completes eight passes and your front seven gives up nearly 300 yards rushing, the corners aren’t the main concern.

Hmmm…maybe the return of Ward and Williams isn’t that big a deal after all. Nah, just kidding. Ward was a Pro Bowler as a rookie last year, and will certainly bounce back from his slow start. Williams is currently ranked 14th by Pro Football Focus, and will likely see the Pro Bowl more than a few times over his career. I have to agree with our FanSided counterparts, Dawg Pound Daily. As Cory Kinnan wrote, Williams and Ward are coming back just in time for the Browns.