Grant Delpit stresses takeaway 'number needs to be higher' to aid Cleveland Browns defense

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The Browns defense had a problem last season. A big problem, really.

They couldn't create turnovers. The fact they couldn't create turnovers only made the Browns' other defensive inefficiencies more pronounced, which created a season-long issue that played a big role in their 7-10 season.

The Browns arrived in West Virginia at The Greenbrier a week ago looking to turn the page from that season to the upcoming new one. For the defense to turn the page, they're going to have to turn their opponents over at a much higher rate than they did last season.

"The Cleveland Browns are 23-6 in the past (three regular seasons) that we are even or better in the turnover ratio," safety Grant Delpit said following Saturday's training camp practice at The Greenbrier. "So that number needs to be higher. We need to set ourselves up right on defense. We need to go get the ball. When the ball is in the air, it is ours. Offense, don't give it away. That's like one of the most important stats in football is that turnover ratio. We need to be at the top leading the league in that."

The Browns managed just eight takeaways over their first 10 games, while the offense gave it up 14 times for a minus-6 in the turnover margin. In the win-loss column, they were 3-7 following a Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

That led defensive end Myles Garrett to go off following the loss to Buffalo about the subject. He specifically pointed to the lack of work on takeaways in practices.

"It has to be more important to us if we want to force those takeaways in the game," Garrett said at the time. "We have goals that we set in practice, and we are not reaching them. … Once we start forcing those takeaways like … the last couple of years, then we will see some of the results start falling in our favor because as good as a defense as we can play can only get better and we can only start covering up these mistakes even more if we start taking the ball away before they even get rolling.”

The Browns did have a little more success over the final seven games, forcing 12 takeaways while giving the ball up eight times. They went 4-3 in that stretch, giving credence to Garrett's statement in the moment and Delpit's on Saturday.

The question becomes how to get more chances at turnovers. The answer starts with a fundamental goal of the defense.

"Make it hard on the quarterback," Delpit said. "You don't want to make stuff easy stuff like busted coverages, stuff like misalignments and stuff like that. That's going to make it easy on the quarterback. Takeaways have a lot to do with the quarterback as well. Just making a throw that he might see in sticky coverage and stuff like that. We want to make it hard on them. Quarterbacks are too good. It's the NFL They'll tear you up when you allow them to. So we just need to be sound. "

The good news, the Browns hope, is the new defensive scheme being implemented by coordinator Jim Schwartz is designed to do just that. It's designed with aggressive defensive linemen in mind, letting them loose to go get the quarterback.

Adding to that good news is the presence of elite pass rushers such as Garrett and newly-acquired Za'Darius Smith. It's those two who very well could becomes the defensive backs' best friends.

"So we have a great D-line, DBs love that," Delpit said. "So when they get after the quarterback, man, good things happen for DBs, and as long as we stick in coverage. As long as we alignment-, technique-sound, it's going to be good things."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Grant Delpit believes Browns have to do better job getting takeaways