Let’s Establish the Fun by looking at the best young pass rushers in the NFL.
Welcome back to Establish the Fun: TRENCH WARFARE EDITION.
No, not that kind of trench warfare.
In last week’s Establish the Fun, I talked about the offensive side of the ball, highlighting a few teams that caught my eye with some real fun aspects of their game. This week, we’re flipping riverside to the defense, as defenses start to turn the tide on teams.
We’re talking defensive line this week on Establish the Fun, highlighting some young pass rushers to keep your eye on as you watch games this weekend. Being a former defensive lineman/pass rusher, the trenches are my favorite thing to watch in games. So we’re going to have some fun and watch some awesome defensive line play from some potential rising stars in the league.
Quinnen ‘Big Q’ Williams gets busy
Quinnen Williams simply dominated in the Jets’ 26-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The defensive line gave Packers QB Aaron Rodgers fits the entire game, and Williams was a large reason why. He had two sacks and led the team in pressures, and showed the athletic ability and talent that made him a top pick.
In fact, Williams has been doing this all season for the Jets. He’s first in the NFL in pressure rate, sacks and sack rate at defensive tackle per Sports Info Solutions (min. 100 pass rushes), and is fourth at his position in total pressures, behind a couple of guys named Aaron Donald and Chris Jones. He’s been one of the best defensive tackles in the entire league this season, and it’s time people took notice.
The Packers try to run an outside zone play, where the guard is supposed to reach Williams, based on his positioning pre-snap. Look at how quickly Williams gets off the ball and completely destroys this play. Not only that, his ability to redirect and move laterally at 300 pounds is almost unheard of.
Williams absolutely overwhelmed opposing linemen on Sunday, mainly using his explosiveness and power to manhandle the Packers guards. This was one of the most impressive pass rush reps I’ve seen this season, with Williams using his explosiveness off the ball and hand quickness to shock the Packers guard and knock him back with power. Then, when the guard tries to reset, he swipes his outside arm and turns him around, basically throwing the guard into Rodgers. This made me get excited about the Jets defensive potential. Buy your Williams stock now folks.
What I love about how Robert Saleh is using Williams is that he’s pairing him with pass rushers like Sheldon Rankins and John Franklin-Myers. Inside stunts and twists are often used to create havoc on the interior of offensive lines. That’s how Williams notched his second sack against Green Bay. He’s the denter on the stunt, but his man goes to block Rankins, leaving Williams free.
Williams and the 4-2(!) Jets play the Denver Broncos on Sunday, and with all the problems the Broncos have faced offensively, Williams could have a field day. On a larger scale, Williams could be in the midst of a breakout season, going from potential star to possible Pro Bowler.
Speaking of the Broncos…
The Bronco Baron makes his flight
Name the player who is second the NFL in pressure rate over the last two weeks.
Did you guess Von Miller? Maybe Aaron Donald your fancy? Perhaps Khalil Mack?
All of those are wrong. The Denver Broncos’ second year linebacker Baron Browning has an absurd 28.6 percent pressure rate and 2.5 sacks over the past two weeks, and he’s only playing on the edge because Randy Gregory got hurt! Browning was an inside linebacker who only had 34 pass rushing snaps last year and played well on the inside, but he’s a potential star on the edge.
The first thing that pops out with Browning is his explosiveness off the ball. Much like a fighter jet hitting top speed, Browning explodes off the ball, leaving opposing tackles in the dust. This absolutely checks out when you observe Browning’s athletic profile, which Mockdraftable compares to (/checks notes) Khalil Mack and Von Miller. Browning announced himself in a big way on Thursday Night Football against the Colts, leaving poor old Matt Pryor eating his dust on his way to the QB.
I mean, you can’t teach this kind of burst and explosion. He’s moving before the tight end even gets out of the line! He’s so explosive off the ball he beats the chip block by the running back!
He followed that absolute nonsense up with another pass rush rep out of The Matrix against the Chargers on Monday Night Football. This is like the moment in anime where the main character moves so fast the opposition knows he’s moving at that absurd speed, yet can’t do anything about it.
The scariest part about Browning is simple: this is the first time he’s consistently played on the edge, so he’s still developing counters to his speed dip around the edge. Against Indianapolis, he flashed a couple of moves that impressed me, such as this outside spin that almost gets home.
In addition, he used an inside one arm swipe that gives him the corner, but slips as he bends the corner.
He also showed some really nice traits in the run game as well. Browning is an undersized EDGE at 240 pounds, but he uses leverage and a hot motor to make a lot of nice plays in the run game.
Now, with the way that the Browning has played, this puts the Broncos in an interesting situation on the edge. Bradley Chubb is also playing at a high level, and Randy Gregory will eventually return from his knee injury. While there is legitimate smoke to the rumors of Chubb being traded, selfishly I want Chubb to remain a Bronco and play Gregory, Browning and Chubb together.
With Browning’s experience and acumen off the ball, using him as a blitzer in five man fronts off the ball, or placing him over a guard with Chubb or Gregory on one side, then three rushers on the other side, like how Match Quarters founder and writer Cody Alexander has mentioned. Browning isn’t completely lost in pass coverage, and can make plays, like this INT against the Chargers. Think like what the Cowboys do with Micah Parsons.
The Broncos have a good problem on their hands with the rise of Baron Browning, supercharged EDGE rusher.
Montez makes opposing QBs Sweat
Remember how I said Browning’s 28.6 percent pressure rate is absolutely absurd?
Well, he’s second in the NFL over the last two weeks. Commanders’ EDGE Montez Sweat has a blistering 29.5 percent pressure percentage in the past two weeks. That is preposterous, but it feels like Sweat is finally putting together all of the tools that made him a first round draft pick.
What’s worked for Sweat is finally using effective hand placement to go along with his athletic traits. His wingspan and arm length are both in the 97th percentile of all EDGEs to enter the NFL, and he’s using that arm length extremely effectively. Here, he uses the long arm technique against the Bears left tackle and essentially walks him into Justin Fields, forcing an incompletion.
This is where Sweat can get cooking, though. Sequencing that long arm with a swipe when the tackle is expecting the long arm move is how you vary up pass rush moves. Sweat might have found that out, even without Chase Young playing on the other side.
Throughout the entire season, Sweat is third in the entire NFL in total pressures, and with Chase Young returning to the field eventually, his sack numbers could go up as well. It’s been really cool seeing how Sweat uses his length as a disruptor in both the passing game and against the run. He’s fourth in the NFL in ESPN’s Run Stop Win Rate on the edge. not much right has gone on for Washington, especially defensively, but with Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen playing the way they are, they’ll be tough to beat up front.
