New coordinator Gregg Williams making impact on Cleveland Browns' defense

BEREA, Ohio -- There is a different feel to spring practice at Cleveland Browns headquarters in Berea, and it starts with fiery defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Williams is in his first year with the Browns. He got the gift in the draft any defensive coordinator would want when the Browns took defensive end Myles Garrett with the first overall pick. The Browns also drafted defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and Caleb Brantley.

The change in defensive coordinator from Ray Horton to Williams and the heavy emphasis on defensive tackle is enough reason to switch from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 alignment with Garrett and second-year player Emmanuel Ogbah at end. Danny Shelton, in his third year, and a player to be named later, will be the starting defensive tackles.

The Browns were on the field Tuesday in weather that felt more like October. They are wrapping up the third week of OTAs this week before the three-day minicamp next week. Ogbah likes what he sees and hears from Williams.

"That (being a 4-3 end) has been my bread and butter since high school and college," Ogbah said. "I'm excited with the defense. I spent this offseason working on my pass rush. I feel like I really only had a one- or two-move cut and developed a lot more moves to get after the quarterback more effectively to help the team win more games."

Garrett was bothered by an undisclosed injury early in OTAs, but head coach Hue Jackson insists it is nothing serious. Garrett practiced Tuesday. Shelton looks quicker than in either of his first two seasons with the Browns.

Inside linebacker Demario Davis was second on the team last year with 99 tackles, but the switch to a 4-3 defense made him expendable. The Browns traded him to the Jets for safety Calvin Pryor last week, but not before signing middle linebacker Christian Kirksey to a four-year contract extension.

Kirksey missed only two plays all of 2016, so he can take the workload. He led the Browns with 143 tackles, third most in the league, according to NFL.com, and says he is eager to apply Williams' "See ball, get ball" coaching philosophy in games.

"Gregg Williams has given us the opportunity to just go out there and play ball," said Kirksey, entering his fourth year with the Browns. "He's given us this confidence that what we do and what we learn in the film room, we can just come out here and let it loose. Just come out here and play football.

"We've all been at it since we were little kids. He's making us become more of a student of the game and just allowing us to play fast. Gregg is doing an extremely good job right now, and I just cannot wait until the season to see how everything comes into shape."

The Browns were near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive category last year, which is one reason Jackson changed coordinators. They were 31st in overall defense and 30th in points allowed.

Williams was the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams last year. The Rams were ninth defensively and 23rd in points allowed.