(Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
The Cleveland Browns’ offense was so bad last season that it overshadowed the subpar performance by the defense.
Even though Cleveland gave up more points than all but four teams around the NFL, the offense was the worst in the league.
Rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, should provide an immediate boost, but he will need plenty of help around him if he is going to get the unit back to prominence.
A lot of that help could come from a young defensive end who was recently labeled the most underrated player on the team by Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
“I went with Isaiah McGuire. PFF loves him, but the fact that he is known as a good run stopper. He’s just a guy that we don’t really ever talk about, and plus, this team isn’t very good, so it’s hard to come up with somebody who’s the most underrated. I’m curious to see what kind of production they get out of that spot.” Lloyd said on “The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.”
McGuire was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and after playing four games as a rookie, he played 16 games last season and recorded 36 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Browns didn’t add any players who will compete with McGuire for playing time, so his position seems set while the coaching staff hopes he can continue developing at his current rate.
As Lloyd said, there aren’t many underrated players on the roster, given how poorly the Browns played last season, but McGuire is a candidate to make a big leap in 2025.
