Being young isn’t by itself a virtue: the Browns ranked in the bottom 5 in points allowed, yards allowed, net yards per attempt allowed, net yards per rush allowed, turnovers forced, and first downs allowed. But Cleveland was, by far, the youngest defense in the NFL last season.
Yesterday, we looked at the age-adjusted offenses from 2016. Today we do the same for defenses, and the Browns were the youngest group in the league last year, with an average age of just 25.2 years.
| Rk | Team | Def AV | Def Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Browns | 80 | 25.2 |
| 2 | Atlanta Falcons | 86 | 25.8 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 97 | 25.9 |
| 4 | San Diego Chargers | 89 | 26.0 |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 84 | 26.1 |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | 85 | 26.1 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Rams | 102 | 26.2 |
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | 111 | 26.4 |
| 9 | Houston Texans | 109 | 26.4 |
| 10 | New York Giants | 131 | 26.4 |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers | 82 | 26.5 |
| 12 | New York Jets | 86 | 26.5 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | 109 | 26.5 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 103 | 26.5 |
| 15 | Dallas Cowboys | 103 | 26.6 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | 84 | 26.8 |
| 17 | Oakland Raiders | 95 | 26.8 |
| 18 | New England Patriots | 129 | 26.9 |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers | 101 | 26.9 |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 106 | 26.9 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | 101 | 27.1 |
| 22 | Denver Broncos | 127 | 27.2 |
| 23 | Baltimore Ravens | 114 | 27.2 |
| 24 | Tennessee Titans | 100 | 27.4 |
| 25 | Washington Redskins | 90 | 27.4 |
| 26 | New Orleans Saints | 78 | 27.4 |
| 27 | Miami Dolphins | 99 | 27.7 |
| 28 | Minnesota Vikings | 112 | 27.8 |
| 29 | Seattle Seahawks | 116 | 27.8 |
| 30 | Buffalo Bills | 89 | 27.9 |
| 31 | Cincinnati Bengals | 104 | 28.3 |
| 32 | Indianapolis Colts | 89 | 28.5 |
Cornerback Tramon Williams was the only defensive player on the roster who was over 28 years old; he played in 12 games and started seven last year. After him, the oldest defensive player to start a game was 28-year-old Stephen Paea … and he started one game. Demario Davis and Joe Haden were 27 last year, and they were the oldest regular starters.
Cleveland drafted DE Myles Garrett with the first overall pick, and added S/CB Jabrill Peppers at the end of the first round. They join a defense that at least has some potential talent at all three levels: defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah had 6 sacks as rookie last year and doesn’t turn 24 until November, while second-year DT Danny Shelton (a first round pick in 2015) showed significant improvement as a rookie. Linebackers Jamie Collins (27 in 2017) and Christian Kirksey (25 in 2017) form a solid base in the middle of the defense, and Jamar Taylor (27 in 2017) had a quietly good year as a slot corner in 2016. And if they don’t pant out? Well, at least Cleveland has a boatload of draft picks coming in 2018.
Also, it’s worth noting that the Seahawks are now checking in as one of the oldest defenses in the NFL. Is Seattle’s defensive run on its last legs? Back in 2012, Seattle had the third-youngest defense in the league; now they have the fourth-oldest. Consider that Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, and Jeremy Lane were all on the team in 2012, and are still on the team in 2017. Cliff Avril is 31 years old, Michael Bennett turns 32 in November, and Ahtyba Rubin — a 16 game starter last year — turns 31 this month. The Seahawks came up as a fast, exciting, and young defense back in 2012, but they are now one of the oldest defenses in the NFL. The Steelers kept churning out great young defenses 5-10 years ago: can the Seahawks do the same?