Browns invested in defensive tackles, and just look what happened in historic win | Ulrich

CLEVELAND — As Myles Garrett strolled to his locker Sunday evening in Cleveland Browns Stadium, he stopped and bowed toward Dalvin Tomlinson.

The time to celebrate the big men who do so much dirty work on the interior had arrived.

Tomlinson compiled a career-high 2½ sacks, headlining a dominant performance by Cleveland's defensive tackles and helping the Browns record their first shutout in nearly 16 years with a 27-0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

This regime led by General Manager Andrew Berry, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and coach Kevin Stefanski did not treat defensive tackle like a premium position in its first three offseasons.

However, the approach changed this past winter with the hiring of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator.

Tomlinson signed a four-year, $57 million contract in March. Investments in the position continued with the free-agent pickups of Maurice Hurst II and Shelby Harris.

Those three veteran D-tackles have surrounded 2020 third-round draft pick Jordan Elliott and shown what's possible when the middle of a defensive front is no longer neglected. The rotation resembled a masterpiece in Week 9.

“They just bring a different presence, and we need it,” linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. told the Beacon Journal.

Defensive ends, especially elite ones like Garrett, are accustomed to getting the glory while tackles, such as Tomlinson, read and redirect the line of scrimmage by occupying double-teams.

But Schwartz doesn't allow his tackles to sit and rot. He grants them the freedom to take off the proverbial seat belts and get up field, to fire off like Ferraris instead of anchoring like dump trucks, to wreck games like the one the Browns (5-3) thoroughly controlled against the Cardinals (1-8).

Put another way, Elliott said Schwartz trusts the tackles to be “the engine” of the defense.

“I don't think it's been this dominant for me in a D-tackle room for a while,” Tomlinson said.

The Browns tallied 10 quarterback hits and sacked rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune seven times.

Of those 10 QB hits, five came from the interior, with Tomlinson notching three, Hurst one and Elliott one.

Of those seven sacks, 4½ came from D-tackles, with Harris and Elliott adding one apiece to go along with Tomlinson's 2½.

Of Arizona's three turnovers, one went to the D-tackles when Harris strip-sacked Tune and Garrett recovered the fumble with 9:31 left in the third quarter.

“They balled out. I mean, I can’t even name one of them because all of them had a piece of the pie, especially Dalvin,” said Garrett, who posted a sack and leads the Browns with 9½ this season.

What better way to ensure Deshaun Watson's first full game since Sept. 24 went well than to support the quarterback coming off a rotator cuff injury with a historic defensive showing?

The Browns not only earned their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2007, when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 8-0 in a blizzard on Cleveland's lakefront, but they also surrendered the third-fewest net yards in franchise history. They allowed 58 yards (41 rushing, 17 passing) against the Cardinals, trailing only 53 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10, 1989, and 47 yards vs. the Chicago Bears on Sept. 26, 2021.

Hurst created a highlight in last week's 24-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks by deflecting a pass in the third quarter and intercepting it as he fell.

It may have inspired the other D-tackles to supply splash plays, but dissatisfaction with defensive production in the defeat to the Seahawks and a 39-38 win the previous week over the Indianapolis Colts provided more motivation than anything else.

The D-tackles watched film of plays from the past two weeks and highlights from their first five games. They asked each other which version of the defense they wanted to form moving forward.

“I think that's what lit the fire under us,” Hurst said, “and that's what really drove us to elevate our game this week and be very disruptive inside.”

With the Cardinals in town, Browns defenders were compelled to reestablish their identity before two crucial AFC North games — Sunday at the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) and Nov. 19 at home against the Steelers (5-3).

The D-tackles led the way and deserve the recognition they rarely receive.

They got off blocks and collapsed the pocket. Cardinals offensive linemen were knocked back and ejected into the backfield.

The guys who don't typically stuff the stat sheet got to eat.

“That's what we signed up for. I didn't put this weight on for nothing, baby! Come on,” Harris said with a laugh. “We're out here fighting. We're out here fighting for our lives.”

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The group made a statement, and it certainly has personality.

Elliott explained it possesses chemistry, too. The older players who arrived this past offseason have supported him. They have demonstrated selflessness and a collective desire to win.

“We just clicked instantly,” he said.

Everything clicked for the group Sunday.

Berry's investment on the inside of the trenches paid off in glaring fashion as the Browns enjoyed the type of game D-tackles dream about.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns defensive tackles take control of win over Cardinals