Which 4 Cleveland Browns have the most to prove in opener?

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 17: Morgan Burnett #42 of the Cleveland Browns reacts to a stop during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

4. Morgan Burnett

It’s not a huge name on the team, but strong safety Morgan Burnett has a big role. One of the hardest parts of their trade for Odell Beckham, Jr. was watching Jabrill Peppers leave town. It was worth the price to get the electric wideout, but Peppers had come into his own in 2018 and is a player on the rise.

With him gone, the Browns didn’t do a whole lot to fill the void. They added Eric Murray in a trade and also expressed faith in Jermaine Whitehead. But one of those is a special teams ace whereas the other is being considered in a bit of a hybrid role in Steve Wilks’ 4-2-5 defensive alignment.

That means they still needed someone to man the strong safety spot and they found that player late in the game. Just ahead of the draft, news broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers we’re releasing Morgan Burnett just one season into his multi-year deal.

Burnett was a good player for a long time with the Green Bay Packers but he ended up being played out of position in Pittsburgh. Now back to his regular strong safety spot, there’s hope he can become the player we saw with the Packers. If he can’t do that, there’s going to be a weakness in the secondary which could affect the entire defense.

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