Cleveland Browns trying to carve out a role for Justin Gilbert
By Thomas Moore
Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert (21) runs back a kickoff during the first half against the Washington Redskins in a preseason NFL football game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
It is safe to say that the first 20 games of Justin Gilbert‘s NFL career have not gone the way that anyone expected.
Gilbert, the eighth-overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, struggled to such an extent as a rookie that not only could he not unseat Buster Skrine, one of the most-penalized cornerbacks in the league, he continually lost playing time to Pierre Desir (a fourth-round pick) and K’Waun Williams (an undrafted free agent).
By the end of the season it was easy to forget that Gilbert was even still on the roster.
“Obviously, he showed when the ball is in his hands, he can do some things for us. We’re real excited about that phase right there showing some improvement, and hopefully, we can continue that.” – Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor on Justin Gilbert
The situation has gotten worse so far this year, with Gilbert being burned first against Washington in the preseason and then against Buffalo in practice. He followed that up by suffering a hip flexor injury that put him on the sidelines.
Even if healthy, it is doubtful that Gilbert would have seen much playing time – he was only in the game against San Diego for eight plays despite the Browns being without Joe Haden and Williams.
To their credit, the coaching staff is not giving up on Gilbert and are continuing to try to find a role where he can contribute to the team, since he seems unable to do it at cornerback.
The latest move is to put Gilbert in as the primary returner on kickoffs, where he can use his athleticism (he averaged 36.7 yards on three returns against the Chargers) and save Travis Benjamin, who has emerged as a strength of the offense, from the pounding of returning kickoffs on top of playing wide receiver and returning punts.
“Gilbert did a great job for us last week as a returner,” special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said on Thursday. “I thought he did a nice job of, first and foremost, catching the ball and secondly, making good decisions. When he hit it, he hit it. Obviously, he showed when the ball is in his hands, he can do some things for us. We’re real excited about that phase right there showing some improvement, and hopefully, we can continue that.
“Even with him being a little hurt, he did a good job on special team returning kicks so I like the direction he’s going.” – Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil on Justin Gilbert
“There’s always a lot of factors, but he’s a guy that has been progressing and maturing and doing a nice job for us. Like I always say, the tape will always tell you what to do, and what he had been doing in practice, it merits putting him back there and he responded so I’m happy for him.”
While Gilbert moving to kick returner makes sense, it was head coach Mike Pettine‘s comments that set Browns Nation all aflutter.
Pettine, in response to a question from a reporter, said the Browns have used Gilbert at times as a wide receiver in practice, but only when the team needed an extra body.
Most importantly, despite what some people inferred from Pettine’s comments, the team is not planning to create an offensive role for Gilbert.
“Sometimes with the numbers and injuries, we’ve had to throw him on offense at wide receiver and doesn’t look out of place,” Pettine said. “Just given the depth we have at that position now – you add Duke Johnson, who has wide-out type ability, you have Rob Housler who has wide-out type ability in certain situations – it’s hard to justify it, but he’s certainly shown the ability, as you say. When he’s got the ball in his hands, he can do something with it.”
So let’s pump the brakes a bit on turning Gilbert into a modern-day Deion Sanders, shall we?
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Besides, Gilbert still needs to focus as much as he can on learning how to play cornerback at the NFL level because you never know when he will be the next man up.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about corner in this league is you’re going to need them all,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil said. “At some point this year, we’re going to need all of them, and they all play huge roles for your football team at some point in the season. (Justin’s) had three great weeks of practice. He really battled through the hamstring injury, which could have been a major setback for him. I thought it showed some toughness when he was up for us for the Oakland game.
“Even with him being a little hurt, he did a good job on special team returning kicks so I like the direction he’s going.”
It’s disappointing that Gilbert isn’t on the field more as one of the team’s top cornerbacks, but he’s only 20 games into his career. The Browns have shown an ability to create a plan for struggling players to get better (see Johnny Manziel), so if Gilbert follows the plan the team has put in place for him there is still hope.
Until then, it’s just nice to see him finding a role where he can contribute.