Cleveland Browns: 5 players with key roles for playoff push

2. S Tedric Thompson

Another late-season waiver claim, Tedrci Thompson was brought in to improve the Browns safety depth after an injury to Ronnie Harrison Jr. Considering it took Harrison over a month to be given a significant role (and even that was due to a Karl Joseph injury), it’s not surprising that Thompson has been entirely absent from the game plan to this point. If everything goes according to the plan, he stays on the sideline most of the time.

Given the shape the linebacker room is in, Thompson could be called upon to man the strong safety position for a few plays per game (in addition to special teams work) while Karl Joseph moves into the box to play his moneybacker role, where he has excelled as a Brown.

If Harrison is able to return for the Steelers game (and beyond), then Thompson defaults to a backup role as the fifth safety. That group has been far from durable this season, so at some point, it’s likely Thompson will see the field in a decent capacity. He hasn’t been a great player throughout his career with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs, but he has experience and shouldn’t be a liability. It’s hard to ask for a whole lot more than that out of a backup.