It was clear after the Cleveland Browns’ 2011 season that their defense was the heart and soul of a team that struggled nearly everywhere else. Once again a hard-nosed approach of football on the defensive side of the ball returned to the shores of lake Erie. One are of struggles despite a top 10 finish in the league was the run defense which has hopefully been solved with the additions of Parker, Rucker, and the return of a healthy Marcus Benard.

But already the Browns are faced with a hole in the defensive line which must be filled. The widely reported injury and loss of last year’s rookie Phil Taylor is a big blow to the Browns D-line at least for a good chunk of the 2012 season. So the question in today’s article, and for you the readers is who will fill that void? Let’s take a look at some likely candidates.

DT John Hughes.
NFL analysts (including myself) were shocked at the selection by Cleveland of DT John Hughes (Cincinnati) so early in the draft. Taken in the 3rd round (37th overall) was perplexing to say the least since most had Hughes going late in the 6th or 7th rounds. Consistency has always been the dog nipping at the heels of Hughes but that will probably change after spending some time with defensive coordinator Dick Jauron who always gets the best out of his players.

One area that Hughes does excel in however is in the run game. He is a legit run-stopper and that is what Cleveland desperately needs. Maybe the coaching staff saw something in him that many didn’t but regardless he is here and is competing for starting time with Taylor out.

DT Billy Winn.

Not that there aren’t others who can help out with Taylor out but the other name that continues to surface is DT Billy Winn (Boise State). Winn was selected by Cleveland in the 6th round (205th overall). At 6-foot-4 294 pounds, Winn shows amazing speed and quickness for a man his size. He was arguably the best defensive player to come out of Boise State in years and if it hadn’t been his “at-times” lack of effort had been an issue he likely would have been off the board by the third round if not earlier.

If there is one knock on Winn’s game it’s his technique. He relies more on speed and quickness rather than the basics. The good news here is both Winn and Hughes will be working closely with veteran DT Ahtyba Rubin who has become a staple in the Browns D-Line.

So who do you think winds up with more playing time? Will it be Hughes, Winn, or an unnamed dark-horse?