Cleveland Browns: Kindred vs Peppers who will start at strong safety?

The Cleveland Browns are splitting strong safety repetitions between Derrick Kindred and Jabril Peppers. Will this risk bring high rewards?

The Cleveland Browns have a battle brewing. The competition for the starting strong safety position is starting to heat up during mini-camp. If mini-camp is an indication of things to come, then training camp will see a fierce competition between Derrick Kindred and Jabrill Peppers.

To some this may sound surprising. The Browns drafted Jabrill Peppers to play the hybrid strong safety role in the NFL. But Derrick Kindred was already in place and was drawing positive reviews from opposing coaches last season for his play at strong safety.

Now the Browns have two players who can play strong safety. Kindred is the proven veteran who has played the position. But he has never risen to a high level. Injuries have short circuited his career up to this point.

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Peppers is the upstart who was drafted to play the position but never got the chance due to the monumental failure of the previous regime to have a free safety on the roster last season.

If the season started today, Derrick Kindred should be the starter. He is the most developed player in terms of run support. He has shown he can play in the box, take on blockers and stop running plays before they start.

He is adequate in pass coverage. He can cover tight ends and slot receivers but his coverage skills are typical for the position.

If the Browns start Jabrill Peppers, it will be an investment in the future. Peppers came into the league as a strong safety after having played linebacker in college.

While at the University of Michigan, Peppers was known as a hard hitter who could play the run. But his pass coverage left a lot to be desired. His defense in college often did not ask him to play pass coverage. Teams knew he was coming into the league needing to develop his coverage skills.

Last season was a learning experience for Peppers as he played the ‘Angel’ role in the defense. Such a role did not play to his strengths.

It showed on the field with missed coverages and bad angles. But those hard knocks may have been just what Peppers needed to develop into strong safety in the NFL.

Now Peppers and Kindred are locked in a battle to start on the defense. For now, the position is Kindred’s to lose. Peppers must show up at training camp with vastly improved coverage skills if he wants to win the starting role.

It seems the Browns have consistently had the worst roster in the NFL, it is nice to have a real camp battle between two players who have talent and can play football.

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This team has come a long way. But now it is time for some victories. Whoever plays strong safety will be a major contributor to those victories.

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