Are the Cleveland Browns not satisfied with their cornerbacks?
By Dan Justik
The Cleveland Browns bolstered their cornerback room this off-season, but may not be done as they have two free agent cornerbacks visiting this week with training camp opening in just days.
There is no debate that the Cleveland Browns passing defense had a lot of problems last season. General manager John Dorsey has made it a point of emphasis to fix their secondary this off-season.
Dorsey has been aggressive in fixing his secondary, with the biggest changes in the cornerback room. Gone are Jason McCourty and Jamar Taylor, last season’s starting cornerbacks. And in is T.J. Carrie, Denzel Ward, E.J. Gaines, Terrance Mitchell, and Simeon Thomas.
The Browns spent valuable draft picks and cap space to fix the secondary. Cleveland signed Carrie to a four-year, $31 million deal in the opening days of free agency. They also used the fourth overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft to select Ward.
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But even with all of the new faces, Dorsey and the coaching staff may not be fully satisfied with their cornerback room. Throughout the final weeks of the off-season, the Browns have shown interest in different cornerbacks.
Cleveland was expected to be interested in Sam Beal in the supplemental draft, but did not win the bidding to select him. But their interest in available cornerbacks has not waned with training camp opening in just a couple of days.
The Browns have set up visits with two free agent cornerbacks, Jude Adjei-Barimah and Bashaud Breeland, for this week.
Adjei-Barimah will be visiting with the Browns on Tuesday after not being tendered a contract by Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the Browns visit with Adjei-Barimah.
The 26-year-old cornerback missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury. In the two seasons prior, Adjei-Barimah played in 23 games, starting in eight of those games. He compiled 62 tackles, two sacks, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.
If the Browns did decide to sign Adjei-Barimah after his visit, it is hard to see him finding a lot of playing time in the defense. Cleveland may be looking to add him as a special teams specialist instead of having a role on the defense.
The more interesting name coming to visit is Breeland. Breeland is a starting-caliber cornerback that was one of the best available cornerbacks when free agency opened in March. Breeland agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. But the deal was voided after Breeland failed his physical.
He has taken some visits in May and over the past week, but has yet to sign a new deal. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky first reported Breeland planning to visit the Browns.
In his four-year career, Breeland has played 60 games, starting in 58 of those games. He has compiled 268 tackles, seven forced fumbles, eight interceptions, and 59 passes defended.
The Browns already have three starting caliber cornerbacks with Ward, Carrie, and Gaines. Ward is very likely to start Week One, leaving Gaines and Carrie to battle for the second starting job.
But if the Browns signed, Breeland would instantly be thrown into the competition. The biggest question with Breeland is if he could pass the physical. He certainly is too talented to still be a free agent, but teams must have concerns with his medicals.
Should the Browns sign either cornerback, it will create an even bigger logjam at the position. And it creates the interesting question of who will be the odd guy out when the roster is trimmed down.
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Dorsey has not been afraid to move on from players he inherited from the previous regime, and he already almost has a full cornerback room of players he acquired. It appears that cornerbacks will remain a point of emphasis for Dorsey until the regular season starts.