3 Cleveland Browns who were given votes of confidence

1. Jermaine Whitehead, Safety

Another player who was a starter in 2018 but was traded this offseason was strong safety Jabrill Peppers. A former first-round pick, Peppers made big strides in his second season with the team but was part of the deal that brought Odell Beckham, Jr. to The Land.

After Pepper‘s departure, there were a few moves made at the position. There was the addition of Eric Murray via trade, the signing of Morgan Burnett who was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the selection of Sheldrick Redwine in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

None of those players move the needle much as Murray is a special teams ace, Redwine is a projection player, and Burnett is coming off the worst season of his career. With all that being said, there’s one player who the team seems very high on, even if he’s a bit under the radar.

Jermaine Whitehead was claimed off waivers by Cleveland after he was cut by the Green Bay Packers last season and recorded just four tackles in seven games. Even with his limited time on the field last season, Whitehead is considered a dark horse to start at strong safety opposite Damarious Randall this season.

"“Veteran Morgan Burnett, cut by the Steelers in April after requesting his release, is the obvious choice to start at strong safety. But the Browns have been intrigued by Jermaine Whitehead in that role. Another former Packer (2017), Whitehead played 24 games in that last two years. I keep hearing, ‘Don’t ignore this guy.’” – Pluto, Cleveland.com"

It would be a bit of a surprise given the presence of Burnett, who is a much more accomplished safety. Still, it wouldn’t be unheard of and the good reports coming out of camp early give him a strong vote of confidence ahead of the season.