Cleveland Browns: 6 second-year players to watch in 2016
By Joel W. Cade
In this final section we look at two players in position battles who could end up contributing before the season is over.
Defensive end Xavier Cooper was selected in the third round of the 2015 draft. He did not see the field much his rookie season but, like Orchard, came on strong toward the end of the season. Cooper’s major strength is his quick first step, one that is so quick he was called offside twice last season when replays showed he clearly was not.
Cooper is battling John Hughes for the starting three technique position. The three technique lines up over the outside shoulder of the guard, usually to the formation’s strength. His primary goal is to hold the gap between the guard and tackle in order to stop the run. Any contribution as a pass rusher is a bonus.
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Cooper is the up-and-coming rookie battling the seasoned veteran in Hughes, who really has not seen much playing time. It should be an interesting battle.
Safety Ibraheim Campbell appeared in 15 games last season, mainly in a special teams capacity. Campbell made his first career start against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. He was originally drafted to replace Donte Whitner in O’Neil’s defense.
One of the changes that comes with Horton’s defense is a redefining of the role of strong safety. In 2015, the strong safety was mainly a coverage defender, in reality there was no real difference between the strong and free safeties for O’Neil. For Horton, there will be a clear distinction between strong and free safety. The strong safety plays in the box and expected to help with run support, something that did not happen last year.
Where Campbell fits in this scheme is still unclear. He is not an in-the-box thumper like T.J. Ward or Troy Polamalu. He will most likely compete for the strong safety position as his deep coverage ability was a question coming out of college. If he plays strong safety, he will battle rookie Derrick Kindred, who fits exactly what Horton is looking for, and free agent acquisition Rahim Moore for playing time.
The Browns can expect some break-out performances and contributors from this year’s second-year players. Although they were not brought in as a part of the official rebuilding project, they are talented enough to contribute to the rebuild nonetheless.
Next: Top 5 opposing RBs in 2016
What do you think, Browns fans? Which second-year players can make a difference for the Browns in 2016 and beyond?