Cleveland Browns defensive back room feeling empty right now
By Greg Newland
The Cleveland Browns defensive back room was full of depth entering the 2019 season, now as we head into 2020 it looks to be a position of question.
There is much speculation that free safety is a spot the Cleveland Browns could fill with the signing of a big-name free agent. Is new general manager Andrew Berry ready to dish out the bucks for a big-time safety? But the real question is what got the Browns here in the first place.
The first piece that thinned out the defensive back room occurred last year when Jermaine Whitehead threatened a fan on Twitter after the Denver Broncos game. Whitehead missed a few tackles that led to huge plays and fans went off on social media. While Whitehead had a solid season leading up to the event, the Browns were forced to cut Whitehead after the threats were made.
The next event occurred when Morgan Burnett tore his Achilles in the Browns Week 11 game against Pittsburgh. Burnett remains under contract in 2020, but it appears the 31-year-old could be cut, as it would save the Browns over $2 million in cap space. With Burnett and Whitehead gone, young and unproven talent was forced to step in.
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The fiasco above led the Browns to start rookie Sheldrick Redwine at free safety and Juston Burris at strong safety to end 2019. Redwine was a fourth-round pick in 2019 by the Browns, and while he was competitive when forced on the field, it was obvious he needed more time to develop. Burris, who was signed in April, then waived on September 1, and then brought back on September 20, performed well for coming off the street. However, there is no argument an upgrade at both safety positions is needed.
To begin the 2020 offseason, T.J. Carrie was one of the first Berry casualties. Carrie was cut in mid-February, saving the team $6.35 million in cap space for 2020. Carrie was a true pro during his tenure with the Browns and was a strong contributor when Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams were fighting off hamstring injuries early in the year. I was a big Carrie fan, but agree with the cut based on cap savings. Now it’s time for Ward and Williams to perform at corner.
The last piece of the puzzle was the erratic play and off-field issues with Damarious Randall in 2019. Randall was a high-flyer in 2018 after being acquired for DeShone Kizer. To begin the year all fans believed Randall was going to get a slam dunk contract extension. Then Randall was ejected from a game, missed three games from an injury and was left in Cleveland as a coach’s decision for another. While the talented safety will likely get a handsome deal from someone, it looks unlikely to be from the Browns. Randall is a high-risk, high-reward guy, but given the talent on the free-agent board, moving on from the troubled safety is the right move.