The defense couldn't tackle to save their lives in the first half against Pittsburgh, but they picked up the pace in the second half and even forced a couple of three-and-outs. The snap count distributions for the Browns' defenders against the Steelers are listed below. [Week 1 offensive snap counts for Cleveland can be found here]

Defensive Line

Billy Winn

Armonty Bryant

Ahtyba Rubin

Phil Taylor

Ishmaa'ily Kitchen 66%

47/71 plays

61%

43/71 plays 45%

32/71 plays 44%

31/71 plays 6%

4/71 plays

Billy Winn: 2 tackles (2 combined). 1 tackle for loss.

Armonty Bryant: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).

Ahtyba Rubin: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).

Phil Taylor: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).

Ishmaa'ily Kitchen: No stats registered.

Thoughts: The defensive line as a whole was very quiet, and after an explosive preseason, I guess not hearing Armonty Bryant's name more often was a disappointment. It was surprising to see Billy Winn get the most reps, considering he was listed as a backup on the depth chart. I think we saw how valuable John Hughes is to the run defense, as is Desmond Bryant.

Inside Linebacker

Karlos Dansby

Chris Kirksey

Craig Robertson 100%

71/71 plays 83%

59/71 plays 17%

12/71 plays

Karlos Dansby: 5 tackles, 1 assist (6 combined). 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 2 passes defended.

Chris Kirksey: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit.

Craig Robertson: No stats registered.

Thoughts: We brought Karlos Dansby here to make plays in coverage, and he did just that, defending the only two passes of the game by a Browns defender. In terms of actual reps, the biggest surprise perhaps was the disparity in playing time between Chris Kirksey and Craig Robertson. I guess Kirksey is pretty much the starter.

Outside Linebacker

Barkevious Mingo Paul Kruger

Jabaal Sheard

79%

56/71 plays 62%

44/71 plays 48%

34/71 plays

Barkevious Mingo: 3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined).

Paul Kruger: 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined). 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits.

Jabaal Sheard: 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit.

Thoughts: We finally got to see the Paul Kruger we paid for! The Barkevious Mingo played the most, but appeared to have very little impact on the game. Hopefully his run defense doesn't stick out negatively when I re-watch the tape. Jabaal Sheard was a bit more visible, but not as good as he started in 2013.

Cornerback

Joe Haden

Buster Skrine Justin Gilbert

K'Waun Williams

100%

71/71 plays 92%

65/71 plays 83%

59/71 plays 8%

6/71 plays

Joe Haden: 1 tackle (1 combined).

Buster Skrine: 3 tackles, 2 assists (5 combined).

Justin Gilbert: 6 tackles, 1 assist (7 combined).

K'Waun Williams: 2 tackles (2 combined).

Thoughts: Overall, this was not a great day for the cornerbacks. I think it is fair to give Joe Haden somewhat of a pass because of how good Antonio Brown is, and the touchdown involved a pushoff and a long rollout by Big Ben. Buster Skrine had the best performance out of all the cornerbacks. Justin Gilbert is where things got ugly . He couldn't cover or tackle and showed poor instincts. It cost Cleveland the game.

Safety

Donte Whitner

Tashaun Gipson Jim Leonhard

100%

71/71 plays 94%

67/71 plays 13%

9/71 plays

Donte Whitner: 12 tackles, 1 assists (13 combined).

Tashaun Gipson: 2 tackles (2 combined).

Jim Leonhard: 1 assist (1 combined).

Thoughts: In his debut with the Browns, Donte Whitner loaded up on a bunch of tackles. Tashaun Gipson only missed a couple of plays due to injury. The most surprising name not on the list was Jordan Poyer, who only played on special teams.