5 Bold predictions for Cleveland Browns vs. the Jets

4. Safety standout

With Harrison and Andrew Sendejo both out on Sunday night, Karl Joseph was asked to fill in for a crucial role.  Joseph started the season as the starter at safety but has since lost his spot to Harrison who has been one of the Brown’s top two players on defense.

With his performance on Sunday night vs. the Giants, Joseph showed he deserves to be on the field and defensive coordinator Joe Woods may need to find a way to make that happen. Joseph ended the game with 10 tackles, which included one for loss and two pass deflections, one that saved a touchdown.

While it’s usually not ideal for your starting safety to lead the team in tackles, this was a good thing as he was often playing near the line of scrimmage in run support. Joseph stuffed multiple run plays that looked like they could go for huge chunks. The one that stands out is the third and ten run by the Giants in the red zone.  It looked like the Giants were going to walk in for a touchdown when Joseph slid under a block and stopped him for a six-yard gain. The Browns would stop the Giants on fourth down and then go 95 yards for a touchdown.

Even if Harrison does return this week, look for Joseph to find himself back on the field.  Joseph could play the role that Woods originally thought Grant Delpit would fill. Although the Jets aren’t known for a tremendous run game, I expect Joseph in the box and have another 8-10 tackle performance.