CLEVELAND, Ohio — Running back Peyton Hillis won’t play tonight, but neither will Montario Hardesty.

Hillis tweaked a hamstring muscle at the conclusion of Wednesday’s practice and Hardesty is still being eased in after ACL surgery last year.

That means the Browns’ running backs against the Detroit Lions will be Brandon Jackson, Quinn Porter and rookie Armond Smith.

Also scratched from the game were safeties T.J. Ward (hamstring) and Usama Young (hamstring). The top backups are Ray Ventrone and Mike Adams. It’s possible rookie cornerback James Dockery also will see time at free safety.

Other players declared out for the Browns: Left guard Eric Steinbach (back), wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi (foot) and Carlton Mitchell (finger), linebackers Chris Gocong (neck) and Scott Fujita (thigh), and tight end Benjamin Watson (hamstring).

Old home week: The Lions have a lot of former Browns on their training camp roster.

• Eric Wright is the starting right cornerback and Brandon McDonald is third at the position.

• Corey Williams is the starting right defensive tackle.

• Running backs Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison are third and fifth, respectively, on the depth chart.

• Kirk Chambers is listed third at left tackle and Isaac Sowells is fourth at right tackle.

BEREA, Ohio — “There’s a defense?”

That was the joke Pat Shurmur made at the news conference introducing him as the new Browns coach. The perception was that this Mike Holmgren hire was all about offense.

Offense dominated Shurmur’s introduction and it has dominated the early stages of his first training camp.

The surprisingly efficient performance in the debut of Colt McCoy’s direction of the West Coast offense dominated discussion following the Browns’ opening preseason win over Green Bay last week.

But as the Browns prepared for tonight’s second practice game against the Detroit Lions, the defense was gaining notice, too.

“It’s coming together, probably quicker than I imagined,” linebacker Scott Fujita said. “But what really matters is the first week of the season. We have to get on the same page as quickly as possible for that game.”

The defense has to overcome more injuries than the offense to take its next step. Fujita (thigh bruise) is one of at least three starters expected to miss tonight’s game. The others are linebacker Chris Gocong (neck) and free safety Usama Young (hamstring). Strong safety T.J. Ward (hamstring) also may be held out.

The injuries give precious playing-time opportunities with the first unit to undrafted rookie Brian Smith (for Fujita), third-year backup Kaluka Maiava (Gocong) and undrafted rookie James Dockery — possibly — for Young, if Ward is out.

Speaking mostly of the young linebackers — five undrafted free agents are scrambling to back up the starters — Fujita said: “Some of the young guys who came in undrafted, some of them are really sharp guys like Brian Smith. These are good young players who I think are going to turn out well in this league.

“Obviously, experience-wise, it doesn’t appear there is a lot of depth, but these guys are coming along fast and that’s without an off-season program and really just two weeks of work with these coaches.”

The same applies to rookie defensive line starters Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard.

Taylor was credited with no tackles in three series against Green Bay, but he influenced a holding penalty on Packers center Scott Wells. Sheard assisted on one tackle and should have been credited with a half-sack of Matt Flynn that went entirely to Jayme Mitchell.

“The game was kind of fast. It was a different tempo. I kind of got the jitters out,” Sheard said.

The Browns’ defense limited the Packers to 78 yards rushing, sacked backup QBs Flynn and Graham Harrell five times, and forced a fumble that linebacker Titus Brown returned for a touchdown.

“There was a lot of good physical play,” Shurmur said. “We played a lot of man-coverage and you didn’t see guys running wide open. I thought the coverage was tight. For the most part, the receivers were challenged and we did create some pressure and disrupt the quarterback. Those were all good things. I’m pleased with where they’ve come in less than three weeks.”

The credit has to go to new defensive coordinator Dick Jauron and his staff, which includes only one holdover from the Eric Mangini staff, defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.

Even though the defense is switching systems — from the 3-4 to the 4-3 — it gets largely overshadowed by the offense. This is true even at practice, where the offense has a built-in advantage.

“In the West Coast system, in practice, it’s all timing,” cornerback Sheldon Brown said. “The ball comes out fast. So as a defensive back or a linebacker, in 7-on-7s, the offense is going to win. They should look good . . . should look smooth. That’s the way the practice should go, if you’ve been around a West Coast system. If the ball’s on the ground [incomplete], then you know the timing’s not there.

“For us on defense, it’s the game time [that is important]. The team things in the game. Get balls on the ground, get people around the ball. When they catch the ball, you have to get the ball from them — force fumbles, make turnovers.”

Unlike the offense, whose personality Bill Walsh blueprinted decades ago, the complexion of the new Browns defense has yet to establish itself. Fujita and Brown both say it’s too early to tell.

But Brown, for one, has an inkling of what Jauron desires it to be.

“I would imagine he wants to be a defense that’s physical, creates pressure through schemes and systems, week to week change up game plans,” Brown said. “He just probably wants to be the most physical team on that day. That’s probably going to be his mentality.”

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @TonyGrossi

The AFC North blog continues its series on the top draft classes of the past decade. Thursday we take a look at the Cleveland Browns.

No. 3: Class of 2007

Best picks: OT Joe Thomas (first round), CB Eric Wright (second round)

Analysis: This was not a stellar draft for the Browns, but Cleveland has the slimmest pickings of all division teams. So 2007 made the cut. The Browns hit a home run with Thomas with the No. 3 overall pick. Thomas has been to four straight Pro Bowls and is one of the best at his position. Despite Wright’s struggles this past season, he was a starting cornerback for Cleveland and turned out to be a decent second-rounder. The Browns also drafted cornerback Brandon McDonald in the fifth round, and he was a contributor for three seasons. The biggest miss in this draft was first-round quarterback Brady Quinn. He was expected to be the long-term solution, but was shipped to the Denver Broncos after three uneventful seasons for tailback Peyton Hillis.

No. 2: Class of 2006

Best picks: LB Kamerion Wimbley, LB D’Qwell Jackson, FB Lawrence Vickers (sixth round)

Analysis: The second draft of the Phil Savage-Romeo Crennel era in Cleveland turned out to be the best. The Browns landed two starting linebackers in Wimbley and Jackson. Wimbley never quite lived up to expectations, but recorded 26.5 sacks in four seasons with the Browns. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders last year and recorded nine sacks. Jackson led the Browns in tackles in 2008 and had two 100-tackle seasons before suffering a pair of pectoral injuries. Vickers is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL and a great find in the sixth round. The Browns also drafted fifth-round tailback Jerome Harrison, who showed flashes before falling out of favor in Cleveland and being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Regime changes resulted in some of these players having to switch teams, but this was a solid class.

No. 1: Class of 2010

Best picks: CB Joe Haden (first round), S T.J. Ward (second round), QB Colt McCoy (third round)

Analysis: I’m going out on a limb, but I think the 2010 class will be Cleveland’s best of the past 10 years. As you can see, this class doesn’t have too much to compete with. The first two picks — Haden and Ward — have great ability and project to be longtime starters in the secondary. McCoy showed some good things and is vying to be Cleveland’s franchise quarterback, although he still has a lot to prove. The Browns also have two rookies in tailback Montario Hardesty and guard Shawn Lauvao who could turn out to be good players. Hardesty is coming off a torn ACL, and Lauvao got mostly backup time in 10 games last season.

On Friday we will conclude our series by ranking the best overall draft classes in the division.