BEREA: As Browns nose tackle Danny Shelton repeatedly knocked back Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, the 2015 first-round pick knocked some sense into the critics who have already written him off as a bust.
“He is starting to be dominant up front,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said of Shelton after Thursday’s practice. “We know he is a big guy. At the same time, you have to use your athletic ability and use your hands and your legs to push people. He is starting to do that. He is starting to really come on.”
Shelton improved in the second half of his rookie season after a slow start last year, but still fell way short of the expectations placed upon the 12th overall pick. Then he struggled throughout this past preseason.
But Shelton, 23, turned in what he considers the best performance of his professional career Sunday, albeit in a season-opening 29-10 loss to the Eagles. He has received praise from several members of the national media for his outing against Kelce, a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, and ProFootballFocus.com gave him the fifth-highest grade on the Browns defense.
None of this means he’s destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, it’s a step in the right direction for Shelton as he and the Browns (0-1) prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens (1-0) in the home opener Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“I thought there were some things he did really well,” Jackson said. “At times, he got some knock back on the offensive line. That was a huge improvement. We just need him to do it consistently and do it every game. I think he is trending in that direction.”
That’s the key for Shelton, who played 42-of-77 snaps (55 percent) against the Eagles and had four tackles. He must figure out how to string stellar games together.
“I’ve got to refocus and continue to dominate,” he said.
Defensive coordinator Ray Horton and his staff have asked Shelton to change some of his techniques in an effort to generate more consistent production. Shelton said he’s been concentrating on “keeping your hands tight, playing square, just staying on your guy so the [linebackers] can make plays.”
Playing lower to gain leverage against O-linemen has been emphasized since the previous regime drafted him.
“I need to do that every week,” Shelton said. “I feel like my mind kind of dozes off when I’m in the game in the zone and don’t really care for my pad level. So throughout the week, I’ve got to continue to focus on having low pads and staying square on the line.”
Horton told Shelton he had to lose weight in the offseason, and the former University of Washington standout dropped about 30 pounds. The theory is Shelton, 6-foot-2 and 335 pounds, will be better equipped to play lower and fire off the ball at a lighter weight.
“The weight [loss] has been helping him just to have the stamina to fire off the ball and knock guys around,” defensive end Xavier Cooper said. “His whole game is to get vertical and get knock-back and let the linebackers read off him and make tackles. I think he did well that last Sunday.
“He’s very good with his hands, very strong. His lower body is extremely powerful. It’s just up to Danny to play consistently and to get off the ball and do those things every day on Sundays. I think he’s done well. I think he’s done everything the coaches have asked him to do. So Danny’s going to be a great player.”
Shelton, though, admitted he thought success would be easier to come by in the NFL.
“I thought it would be easy and I’d learn really quick,” he said. “... It’s always been my expectation to be a dominant defensive lineman, and every time I have a bad game it’s hard to get past it.”
Now the Browns are hoping Shelton finally found his mojo.
They had the youngest roster in the NFL on opening weekend with an average age of 25.06, so even though Shelton is only in his second season, they’re counting on him to rise as a leader.
He’s also one of just two returning full-time starters on the defense. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said the other returning starter, two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden, is just about the only Browns defender he recognizes.
Shelton would like to introduce himself to Flacco on Sunday.
“That’s our goal,” Shelton said. “As a defense, we want to hit the quarterback, and Joe Flacco is the quarterback. So that’s our plan.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.