BEREA, Ohio -- Midway through a 24-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett lined up over center.
As he creeped closer to the line of scrimmage, Garrett began doing crossover steps as if he was dribbling an imaginary basketball. When the ball was snapped, he jabbed left, cut right and easily sliced through the offensive line, forcing Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to scramble to the right where fellow end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo wrestled him to the ground, setting off one of many celebrations the Browns defense had on the day.
Coming off a Week 4 bye, the Browns defense is one of the NFL's best -- topping the league in defensive efficiency. But first-year coordinator Jim Schwartz is unconcerned with being the best in any particular statistic.
Instead, his goal is for his Browns defense to lead the league in intangibles: specifically, effort, swag and -- his word -- "badassery."
"That has molded us into what we're becoming," said linebacker Anthony Walker, one of the team's five captains. "We're not there yet. But we're taking steps in the right direction."
To this point, Cleveland's defense under Schwartz could be the most improved unit in the NFL; the Browns ranked 19th in efficiency last year. This season, they've been dominant.
Opposing passers have a QBR of 31.5 against the Browns, lowest in the league. Cleveland's defense also leads the NFL in fewest yards per game allowed (196.8), yards per play (3.8), points per drive (0.90) and opponent third-down conversion rate (22.6%).
Cleveland's stars, notably Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward, are playing the best ball of their Pro Bowl careers. And the overall defense is boasting a cohesion, chemistry and spirit unseen in Cleveland perhaps since the franchise returned in 1999.
"I think it's been really cool to see the aggressive mentality that side of the ball has played with," said general manager Andrew Berry, who was in the front office with the Philadelphia Eagles when Schwartz was defensive coordinator there. "And quite honestly, the level of joy and fun that they've had on a weekly basis playing together."
CELEBRATING IS PARAMOUNT in Schwartz's defense. And for him, the biggest transgression any player can commit is a "celebration loaf."
"[It's] the worst thing you could ever get on our grade sheet," Walker said of failing to celebrate a big play. "If you make a play, we're gonna celebrate you. That's what it's about."
Whether it's linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah extending his arms and sailing around like an airplane, nickelback Greg Newsome II pointing his finger in the air or any number of coordinated handshakes between the players, the Browns have been celebrating one another all year.
"We have an unselfish group," Schwartz said. "They don't make it about one person. We don't make it about one person. We try to get the job done. We have a high standard, and they all celebrate each other's success."
The Browns set that tone in Week 1. And though Garrett's hardwood highlight against the Bengals collapsed Cincinnati's pocket, Garrett was first to congratulate Okoronkwo on the sack.
Late in the game, Garrett fought through a double team to chase Burrow down for his own sack. Immediately, a half-dozen of his teammates, including Okoronkwo, were chest-bumping and helmet-slapping Garrett.
"This is [the] most selfless team I've ever been a part of," said Walker, who began his career with the Indianapolis Colts. "Guys are excited for one another, no matter what."
With Schwartz's coaxing, Berry said that the defense "may have no less than 100 choreographed celebrations" in the can.
"He embraces personality," Berry said. "He wants guys to play with passion and be themselves -- and I think that's something that really endears him to the guys."
Myles really hit the center with the crossover hesi 😵💫😵💫😵💫 pic.twitter.com/a094ix0px8
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 11, 2023
SCHWARTZ DECLARED BEFORE the season that the Browns would be bringing the heat on almost every down. He's made good on that claim.
According to Next Gen Stats, Cleveland has sent a blitz on almost 30% of plays this season, up more than 2% from last year. The Browns have also brought at least six rushers after the passer 8.1% of the time, a big jump from 2022 and the ninth-highest rate in the league.
Beginning with Cincinnati, Schwartz has moved Garrett and the other pass-rushers around to keep offensive lines off balance.
That has helped Garrett find more favorable matchups and avoid constant double teams. Last year, Garrett was double-teamed 31.1% of the time, the highest rate in the league. This year, that's down to 26.9%.
Schwartz has also leaned heavily on playing three pass-rushers (Garrett, Za'Darius Smith, Okoronkwo) at once on obvious passing downs to apply more pressure.
All of that has translated into a pressure rate that ranks fifth in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
"Keeps the offense guessing," Garrett said. "That's what we want to do. We don't want to allow them to get comfortable with us being in one position -- whether it's me, Z [Smith] and O [Okoronkwo] -- and allow them to just tip us or double us, whatever their game plan is. So it just allows us to jump in the call we want in certain situations and get freed up for one-on-ones."
Schwartz, meanwhile, has relied on his defensive backs to hold up more often in man coverage. The Browns have been in man 53.7% of the time this year (compared with 45.5% last year), sixth highest in the league.
The Browns' talented cornerback trio, featuring two former first-round picks (Ward, Newsome) and 2022 third-round selection Martin Emerson Jr. has thrived. When the Browns have been in man, opposing passers have posted a QBR of 6.4, by far the league's lowest rate. The next-closest team is the Pittsburgh Steelers at 29.9
"We really do have a young, dynamic group," said Berry of the secondary. "They can smother in man coverage. They're physical. They give us a lot of ability to match up with different styles of pass catchers. And I think Jim has allowed them to really play into a system that they enjoy playing in. It goes to their strengths, and those guys have really done a nice job."
LAST YEAR, THE Browns' defensive line outside of Garrett was one of the least effective in the league. Cleveland was next-to-last in EPA (expected points allowed) against the run. No player besides Garrett had more than three sacks.
In the offseason, Berry shored up the run defense while equipping Schwartz with the pass-rushing personnel to unleash his attacking scheme. Three of Cleveland's biggest additions all came on the defensive line, including Okoronkwo and Smith, a former Pro Bowler who had double-digit sacks in three of the past four seasons.
"Z and Ogbo -- they're awesome. They're Energizer bunnies," Berry said. "They love playing in the scheme because they get to pin their ears back and go. ... They're a little bit like thunder and lightning. Z is really more of like a power rusher, and Ogbo can really win with speed. So they've really added a lot up front to us."
Cleveland's other big addition up front, run-stuffing defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, has added a lot, as well. After ranking 25th in yards per run allowed last year (4.7), Cleveland is currently second (3.2).
The Browns have forced only three turnovers this year. And they rank 20th with 12 sacks. But as Schwartz points out, the Browns haven't had to face as many plays because they also lead the league in three-and-out rate (39.2%).
"There's still meat on the bone," Schwartz said. "We've been getting off the field on third down. So, it hasn't given the guys a lot of opportunities to rush, but they're still hitting the quarterback a bunch. We want to get sacks, but sometimes a great pass rush doesn't equal a sack. Sometimes the ball can be thrown quick and be an incomplete pass. ... As long as the defense works, that's what we're looking for."
defense got after it from the first play and didn't let up#CLEvsPIT Monday night on ABC pic.twitter.com/9so2CxPdp1
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 13, 2023
THE OFFSEASON ADDITIONS and Schwartz's schemes alone don't explain Cleveland's defensive turnaround.
The Browns have had several returning players make big jumps -- perhaps no one more than safety Grant Delpit, who is finally playing up to his potential as a former second-round pick.
Delpit suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during training camp as a rookie in 2020. Late last season, Delpit quietly began to surge. He's carried that momentum over while establishing himself as one of the top safeties in the AFC North. Delpit leads the team with 21 tackles. He also has Cleveland's only interception to go along with a fumble recovery.
"Grant's been balling," Ward said. "Making a lot of tackles, a lot of plays out there. We're going to need him to continue playing how he's playing because he's been playing great."
Ward has been playing great himself as one of the top lockdown cover men in the league. Going into the bye, Ward was in the top five in the league in lowest EPA (expected points allowed) allowed when targeted (-12.2).
"Just trying to find a way to win every time," Ward said, "and do my job to the highest level that I can."
Yet nobody on the Browns is playing at a higher level than Garrett, who is better than ever and is among the frontrunners for NFL Defensive Player of the Year (he's second in the betting odds, behind Dallas Cowboys end Micah Parsons).
He leads the league with the quickest get-off speed (time it takes to cross the line of scrimmage) of his career (0.60 seconds), according to Next Gen Stats. He also has the third-highest quarterback pressure rate (25.0%) in the NFL, also a career-high.
"[Schwartz] takes the seatbelt off of those guys," Berry said. "It starts with the D-line wreaking havoc with a premium on pass rush ability -- and that fits Myles to a T."
So far, Schwartz has also fit the Browns to a T. And his defense is playing at an elite level. Playing with effort, with swag and plenty of badassery.