Rush and coverage go together, they say, and the Cleveland Browns understand that well. They benefited from one of the top pass-rush attacks in the NFL combined with a strong secondary. While Myles Garrett claimed the Defensive Player of the Year Award, the secondary’s stout coverage helped him out.
Indeed, longtime Browns cornerback Denzel Ward believes he’s not the only No. 1 on the roster. “He’s a number one corner, I believe as well, able to lock guys down on his respective side of the field”, he said of Greg Newsome II.
The Browns drafted Ward fourth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Still only 27 years old, he is a three-time Pro Bowler with plenty of gas left in the tank. The Brown drafted Newsome 26th overall in 2021. While he hasn’t made a Pro Bowl yet, he had his best season last year. That included his first two interceptions and 14 total passes defensed, nearly doubling his career output.
“I call Greg my brain out there on the field. He gets us in position, makes a lot of calls, communicates out there. And, I mean, not only that, he’s a talented player”, Ward said of his Browns teammate. “And just having all three of us and being able to rotate or put guys in different positions, play inside or outside is a great availability that we got for this team”.
The third of the Browns’ cornerback trio is Martin Emerson Jr., a 2022 third-round draft pick. He started 12 of 16 games last season, recording four interceptions. In his two years in the league, he has 29 passes defensed on 1,645 career snaps.
According to ESPN, all three of the Browns’ starting cornerbacks ranked in the top five in success rate allowed. To have two players in that category is rare, but to have three is astonishing.
But, of course, they all benefit from playing with Myles Garrett and company, who generate a high percentage of pressures. Pressures lead to bad throws, and those talented cornerbacks have taken advantage. Between the three of them, they netted eight interceptions for the Browns last season.
The Browns had 18 interceptions in all as a defense, ranking third in the NFL. Emerson is the only one who managed more than two, however, so they got help all over the place. That alone is another indication of how much the pass rush aids the secondary.
But, of course, the secondary aids the pass rush, as well. When you play tight coverage and don’t allow throwing windows, as the Browns do, pass rushers have more time to create plays. In turn, they have a greater chance of generating a sack, a throwaway, or a poor throw. As a team, the Browns allowed a completion rate of just 57.4 percent.
But do the Browns have two No. 1 cornerbacks in Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II? If so, can they afford to keep them? Ward is still under contract through 2027. They have already picked up Newsome’s fifth-year option for 2025, but what about after that? Emerson is also under contract through 2025, but if he continues to rise, he’ll want a new contract next year.
