Cleveland Browns: 3 position battles to watch vs. Tampa Bay
By Thomas Moore
As long as he is healthy, Joe Haden will hold down one of the starting cornerback slots. Who lines up across from him remains very much an open question.
Tramon Williams entered camp as the starter, but took a back seat to Jamar Taylor this week during the joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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The Browns acquired Taylor, a former second-round draft selection, in a draft day trade with the Miami Dolphins. He came to town with the reputation of a someone who struggles in coverage — he was ranked as the 110th worst corner in the NFL according to ProFootballFocus.com last season as a pass defender — but was competent against the run.
With Cleveland continuing to have issues stopping the run and tackling, having a corner who is willing to at least make an attempt at stopping the opposition could be why the Browns are giving Taylor an extended look. (For an example of what the Browns don’t want from their cornerbacks, check out this video.)
The move didn’t sit well with the veteran Williams and he hinted that it may not be permanent.
“From what I’ve heard, I’m not going to say it’s gone right now,” Williams said of his starting job, according to ohio.com. “I was told (the decision) was not from my play. You want to give a different guy reps and see what he can do, especially with a different team.
“So you have to go through those things, and right now I’m just at the point where I just have to sit and watch.”
Even if the move to make Taylor the starter does prove permanent, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of Williams. The Browns still need someone to take hold of the nickel cornerback slot and it seems likely that Williams and Taylor will still be on the field together this fall.
Next: Browns: 4 players to watch vs. Tampa Bay
“I think you can never have enough corners, first, I would say, and Tramon’s been a great pro for us,” Brown said. “Guys haven’t set the depth chart for Week 1. He’s a savvy veteran that’s come in and worked hard, played well, helped a lot of the young guys along as well. We do value him.”