Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The matchup between Cleveland and Minnesota will mark the teams' first since Kevin Stefanski was hired as the Browns head coach in 2020. According to Dubin, "Cleveland's biggest defensive issue last season was covering the deep middle of the field."
The Browns ranked 28th in Football Outsiders' DVOA against deep passes, an issue that undermined the rest of their unit. Enter Johnson, one of the best and most underrated center-field type safeties in the league. As we saw last season, though, he has the versatility to rotate down into a two-high look and play the run just as well as he covers in space. He's just a really good player, and a perfect fit for what this team needed. The Browns also brought his former teammate, Hill, along with him, to replace departed corner Terrance Mitchell.
PFF gives Vikings 'average' grade for Peterson & Tomlinson signings
As free agency continues, analytics site Pro Football Focus is handing out grades to individual teams for their transactions. PFF's Brad Spielberger and Ben Linsey are working together to evaluate each team's major signings, and they called the Vikings additions of Tomlinson and Peterson "average."
Tomlinson profiled as one of the better interior defenders available on the market this offseason. He came in as the highest-ranked player at the position on PFF's free agent rankings following the Giants decision to franchise tag his teammate Leonard Williams. Tomlinson is coming off a career-high 74.6 pass-rushing grade in 2020, but he has really shined as a run-stuffer in the middle of New York's defensive line. His 70.3 run-defense grade this past season marked the first time in his career where he fell below 79.0 in that regard.
Minnesota will now have two big, run-first interior defensive linemen with 2020 free agent signing and opt-out Michael Pierce set to return to the defense. The Vikings should have little trouble controlling the line of scrimmage against the run with both of those players on the field, which allows for more freedom in coverage.