Cleveland Browns biggest remaining needs after Odell Beckham Jr. trade
By Dan Justik
3. Cornerback
The Cleveland Browns made it a point of emphasis to build a strong secondary last off-season. Dorsey added plenty of cornerbacks, signing Terrance Mitchell, T.J. Carrie, and E.J. Gaines. He also selected Denzel Ward with the fourth overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The new cornerbacks showed a lot of potential when playing together. Ward showed he has the speed and instincts to stick with some of the best receivers in the league while also being able to make plays when the ball was thrown his way. The rest of the cornerbacks were able to create a bunch of turnovers throughout the season.
But the unit was decimated by injuries last season, creating a lot of problems for the team’s pass defense. Mitchell broke his forearm early in the season and missed a large chunk of the season. Then Gaines, Mitchell’s initial replacement, suffered multiple concussions that ended his season early. And finally, Ward also suffered multiple concussions at the end of the season that did not allow him to finish the season on the field.
Although the Browns spent a lot of money in the secondary last off-season and the group had success together, Cleveland’s pass defense struggled. Cleveland had the eighth-worst pass defense last season, allowing 257.8 passing yards per game. So it would make a lot of sense to try to add more talent to the secondary.
Cleveland has already lost some cornerback depth now that Gaines is a free agent. And even though Mitchell and Carrie played well, there remains some uncertainty if they can play as well as they did last season. If Dorsey can add a No. 2 cornerback this off-season, he should jump at the opportunity.