Cleveland Browns: Damarious Randall was snubbed

Damarious Randall has enjoyed the best season in his professional career playing free safety for the Cleveland Browns but found himself snubbed when the selections for the Pro Bowl were announced.

The day Damarious Randall was traded was a busy one for John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns. Randall almost got lost in the shuffle due to all the activity that occurred earlier that day. When the smoke of the first day of the new league year had cleared the Browns had traded for Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor, and Damarious Randall. The trade for Randall was certainly the most under the radar move of the day.

When Randall arrived, it was like he knew a secret that nobody else knew. It turns out he was right. The Browns got themselves a player, and John Dorsey got away with armed robbery in broad daylight.

Randall, a former first-round pick, spent his first three seasons in Green Bay playing cornerback. Although he recorded 10 interceptions for the Packers during his tenure, he always felt he wasn’t being utilized properly. The Browns were not going to make the same mistake.

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Listed as a free safety from day one, Randall instantaneously solidified both safety positions. His ability to hold down the middle of field allowed Gregg Williams to move Jabrill Peppers over to strong safety. The move has proved to be exactly what the back-end of the defense has needed. Both safeties have been playing the best football of their respective careers.

When the Pro Bowl selections were announced, Randall found himself completely left off of the list. The AFC included two free safeties: Derwin James and Eric Weddle. James has had a remarkable rookie campaign and it’s hard to imagine him not being a mainstay in the Pro Bowl for years to come.

However, the inclusion of Weddle over Randall is baffling, to say the least. No disrespect to Weddle, but the numbers favor Randall by a large margin. Weddle has 66 tackles on the year with three passes defended and zero turnovers. Randall has 75 tackles and nine passes defended with four interceptions and a fumble recovery. On top of everything, Randall has played one less game than Weddle.

The Pro Bowl isn’t just about numbers, but numbers aren’t all that Randall brings to the table. His diverse skill set has allowed the Browns to use several different player combinations on defense this season. That trait alone makes him an invaluable defender. Then you add his attitude and on-field demeanor and what you get is truly special.

He may have been snubbed for the Pro Bowl this year, but Randall is most certainly not underappreciated in Cleveland. Dorsey and the Browns need to make him an off-season priority and lock up his services for years to come. If Randall can keep his caliber of play up to this level, the recognition will come. It’s just a shame that the voter’s got it wrong this year.