Cleveland Browns: 2016 depth chart predictions
Just like the inside linebacker position, the Browns will be looking at new starters at both safety positions after releasing Donte Whitner and seeing Tashaun Gipson leave in free agency.
“I think it is going to be a very good competition moving into camp.” – Defensive backs coach Louie Cioffi
Ibraheim Campbell has the inside position to start at strong safety. Campbell played sparingly as a rookie in 2015, but looked impressive in his lone start, when he posted four tackles and looked comfortable in his role in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Backing up Campbell will be 2016 draft pick Derrick Kindred, who earned First Team All-Big 12 honors at TCU after recording 87 tackles and intercepting two passes while playing the entire season with a broken collarbone. That toughness, along with his size (5-foot-10 and 207 pounds), makes Kindred a perfect fit for the AFC North.
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Jordan Poyer will look to hold off Rahim Moore for the starting free safety position. Poyer has only made four starts in his NFL career, but the Browns have liked what they’ve seen of him so far.
The Browns signed Moore in free agency as insurance for Poyer, but based on Moore’s play in 2015, that is an insurance policy the team may not want to cash. Moore was benched after starting six games for the Texans last year, and was inactive for the final nine regular-season games and Houston’s lone playoff game, because his tackling, pursuit angles, coverage and biting on play-action fakes were all reportedly “glaring issues.”
“I have confidence in both (Campbell and Poyer),” Cioffi said. “I was fortunate enough to coach Campbell at the Senior Bowl when he was a rookie so we have some history together. I’ve also been around Poyer during my last stop here [in 2013]. They’ve both been in our system before. They’ve done everything that we have asked them up to this point. I think it is going to be a very good competition moving into camp.”
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Competition is a word that Browns fans will hear often during training camp and the preseason as the team looks to work numerous young players into the defensive rotation. Whether or not it turns out to be “good competition” remains to be seen.