Cleveland Browns: 3 players who will be key to victory over Titans in Week 1

With Denzel Ward, Terrance Mitchell, and Greedy Williams on the roster, it’s easy to overlook T.J. Carrie. That shouldn’t be the case because the former Oakland Raiders defensive back is the best slot corner the team has at this point.

In his first season with the Browns, Carrie had 74 tackles and one interception. He played inside and outside and was forced into some tough matchups throughout the year and never backed down from the challenge.

Our own Dan Justik recently looked at what Carrie’s skill set means to this defense and said his skill in the slot means he’s an important part of this defense in 2019.

"“Carrie may not be matched up with the top receivers during the season, but his presence as a slot corner makes him an important piece of Cleveland’s defense. With most NFL teams having a primary slot receiver, Carrie will still have difficult matchups during the season.” — Justik, DPD"

In their very first game, Carrie will have a tough matchup as the Titans signed Adam Humphries away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. With the Bucs, Humphries had 76 receptions for 816 yards and five touchdowns. Now with Tennessee, there’s a chance he could see even more targets considering they don’t have as many weapons as Tampa Bay did.

For Carrie, this means he needs to be on his toes in this one. Humphries excels on third-down plays and should Carrie shut him down there, it could go a long way toward getting the defense off the field and pulling off the win.