Browns’ defensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 17 – Stable again

Cleveland’s defense has turned in three solid defensive performances in a row to close out the season.

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins.

• DL: The Browns may be down in the dumps, but that hasn’t stopped the effort of Myles Garrett, who notched two sacks and registered a team-high 89.2 grade, per Pro Football Focus. We’ve seen some seasons in which the sack numbers for Garrett have diminished in the second half of a season due to injuries or whatever else, but that hasn’t been the case in 2024. I thought we also saw some solid efforts by Isaiah McGuire and Mike Hall, giving some hope that the defense has a nice youth core going for 2025. Not including the quarterback runs, the Browns did a good job holding the Dolphins’ running backs in check, as they totaled 19 carries for 33 yards.

• LB: Of the Browns’ free agent linebacker signings this offseason, Devin Bush has turned out to be the best one. I don’t know if that means he should be retained for another season, but I think he’s on that fine line to where he could warrant another cheap deal, and has proven to be a solid contributor. I the end, though, the team could also opt to save a little more money by seeing how a promising guy like Winston Reid does in 2025.
• CB: Denzel Ward’s season is over, but he’s earned a Pro Bowl nod and had one of his best seasons as a pro, in my opinion, even if the interception numbers could have been higher. Martin Emerson and Cameron Mitchell continued to be disappointments. Emerson was my pick for breakout player this year, and he was such a letdown that I’m questioning if I even want him to return in 2025.
• S: In his final home game in his NFL career, Rodney McLeod graded out to a 76.5, the second-highest on the team. Ronnie Hickman graded out to a 70.6, the fifth-highest grade for the Browns, per PFF.