First look: Cornerbacks

A quick glance at how the Browns’ secondary performed last season shows it wasn’t as bad as it looked, at least from a statistical viewpoint.

 

It sure seemed as though the opposition strafed the backend unmercifully throughout the 16-game season. In reality, the Browns faced the third-fewest forward passes (513) of the 32 National Football League teams.

 

That’s 32 a game, which seems like a lot. It pales, though, compared to the 42 a game the Tampa Bay secondary faced. Why the big difference? Simple. The Buccaneers led the NFL in run defense. The opposition fared much better with the passing game.

 

Browns opponents last season did not resort to the pass primarily because the run defense regurgitated 145 yards a game and five yards a pop. Why throw? And that’s why the passing stats are a wee bit deceiving when broken down.

 

Breakdown of the training camp roster this summer shows 10 of the 16 members of the secondary are cornerbacks, four of whom return from last season. It is a young group with eight logging two seasons or less. Three are rookies.

 

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are entrenched as starters. No one else is good enough to dislodge them, although quality depth will enable defensive coordinator Joe Woods to give his starters an occasional breather.

 

Ward and Williams missed four games simultaneously last season with hamstring injuries the same day while preparing for the third game of the season. The defense felt their absence. The Browns won only one of those games, at least one of which might have been won with their presence.

 

Both young men are considered shutdown corners, both entering the NFL with questions regarding their tackling. Ward seems to overcome his rookie problems in support of the run, while Williams showed no signs of his tackle-avoidance reputation entering the 2019 college draft.

 

Neither is a stranger to man and/or press coverage. So it will be interesting to see how much of that type of coverage Woods, whose reputation suggests mostly zone looks, utilizes with his two youngsters. Wilks was a zone guy, too, but used Ward and Williams a lot in man or press.

 

When you have talents like Ward and Williams, who are very comfortable and quite adept at making life miserable for receivers at the line of scrimmage, it makes sense to play to their strengths.

 

Backing them up will be veterans Terrance Mitchell (seventh season), Kevin Johnson (sixth season) and undrafted free-agent rookie A. J. Green. The Browns thought so highly of the latter, they signed him to a guaranteed $145,000 contract.

 

Others in camp are rookie Jameson Houston, Robert Jackson, Donovan Olumba, Tavierre Thomas and Donnie Lewis Jr., who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2019 draft and made it as far as the practice squad. Thomas, a special teams standout, is a virtual lock to make the final squad. The others are iffy.

 

Bottom line: This is one area General Manager Andrew Berry needn’t worry about for at least the next five seasons, maybe longer.

 

Next: Safeties