3 defenses that should worry Commanders QB Carson Wentz in 2022

1. Cleveland Browns

The Browns quietly boasted one of the NFL’s elite passing defenses in 2021. For the season, Cleveland ranked 10th in opponent completion percentage at 63.7, tied for second with 6.4 yards per attempt, fifth in passing yards allowed at 3,439, sixth with 184 passing first downs and 10th with 43 total sacks.

The Browns’ secondary is elite as it gets. They have a lockdown cornerback in Denzel Ward, who allowed just a 74.8 passer rating in 2021 and his consistency was rewarded in the form of a five-year, $100 million extension that made him the highest-paid corner in both total value and annual average salary.

Of course, a strong secondary is only boosted by a strong pass rush and Myles Garrett is arguably the best in the NFL in that regard with 28 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, 51 quarterback hits and 134 pressures over the last two years.

The Browns also brought back Jadeveon Clowney, re-signed Anthony Walker and traded for Chase Winovich to bolster their pass rush.

With two up-and-coming studs in second-year players Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Greg Newsome, and Grant Delpit and John Johnson III rounding out the secondary, Cleveland’s defense could give Wentz serious fits.

Luckily, this matchup will be at FedEx Field and not the hostile and frigid atmosphere of FirstEnergy Stadium in early January.