You may never see a PFF grade this high again for this Browns defender
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 11: Quincy Williams #5 and Carson Schwesinger #49 of the Cleveland Browns break up a pass intended for Kenyon Sadiq #16 of the New York Jets during the third quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on October 11, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As bad of a game as this was for the Browns’ offense, the Browns’ defense was fantastic, aside from the first drive. I thought Cleveland made a bunch of adjustments following that opening touchdown drive by the Jets, although I do question why they started with that approach in the first place.

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 5 game against the New York Jets.

Defensive Line

PosPlayerPlays% SnapsStats
DLJared Verse5274%1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined). 2 QH.
DLIsaiah McGuire4666%2 tackles (2 combined).
DLMaliek Collins4260%2 tackles, 2 assists (4 combined). 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QH.
DLAdin Huntington4159%1 tackle, 4 assists (5 combined). 0.5 sack, 1 QH, 1 fumble recovery.
DLSam Kamara4057%1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined). 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH.
DLSam Williams2130%4 tackles (4 combined). 2 TFL.
DLDerek Barnett2130%No stats registered.
DLChris Williams1724%No stats registered.
  • Still no sacks for Jared Verse. The defense in general is playing well, and the coaching staff says he’s helping other players succeed. I’ll take their word for it, since we are seeing a variety of players come up with key plays.
  • Maliek Collins had 1.5 sacks in the first half, but overall, having the depth issues at defensive tackle hurt the run defense for sure.

Linebacker

PosPlayerPlays% SnapsStats
LBCarson Schwesinger70100%5 tackles, 3 assists (8 combined). 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble.
LBQuincy Williams6491%7 tackles, 4 assists (11 combined). 1 TFL, 1 pass defended, 3 forced fumbles.
LBEaston Mascarenas-Arnold46%No stats registered.
  • This was like an all-time game for Quincy Williams. My goodness, this guy has been lights out the past four games, but this week especially. Against his former team, he forced three fumbles, deflected a pass, and led the team with 11 tackles. He received one of the highest grades I’ve ever seen from PFF (95.7).
  • It was also a strong performance from Carson Schwesinger, who had the huge strip sack late in the game that we thought was going to seal it for Cleveland. He was the Browns’ third-highest graded defender by PFF (84.9).

Cornerback

PosPlayerPlays% SnapsStats
CBDenzel Ward70100%4 tackles, 3 assists (7 combined).
CBTyson Campbell70100%2 tackles, 3 assists (5 combined).
CBMyles Harden3956%2 tackles, 3 assists (5 combined).
CBMekhi Blackmon57%No stats registered.
  • Again, I’m still not sure who to blame for that opening-drive defense. Was Denzel Ward in zone coverage? Man? PFF didn’t approve of his performance this week, grading him out to a 53.4, one of the lowest on the team. But most of Garrett Wilson’s production on the day came on that first drive.

Safety

PosPlayerPlays% SnapsStats
SGrant Delpit70100%3 tackles, 2 assists (5 combined). 1 TFL, 1 pass defended.
SRonnie Hickman70100%1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 fumble recovery.
SEmmanuel McNeil-Warren2941%1 tackle (1 combined).
  • It seemed like Ronnie Hickman missed a few open field tackles on that first drive, although those are also tough spots to be in.
  • Emmanuel McNeil-Warren received a grade of 92.0 from PFF, mostly for his coverage.

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