Cleveland Browns: 5 players with the most to prove in 2021 offseason

5 Cleveland Browns players who should be feeling the pressure this offseason.

The Cleveland Browns are likely all but finished making significant acquisitions this offseason, and now boast a legitimate Super Bowl-caliber roster. However, not everyone on the team should be feeling great about their chances to make the final 53, let alone contribute in a meaningful way in 2021.

5. CB Greedy Williams

The selection of Greg Newsome in the first round signaled one of two things; either the Browns aren’t sold on Greedy Williams as the long-term CB2 opposite Denzel Ward, or they are uncertain about Williams’ healthy situation moving forward. It’s impossible to invest too much into the secondary, but Williams was a second-round pick himself, and the Browns actually moved up to snag him.

Williams was not great as a rookie, but he was better than most remember him being. He provides size and length to the cornerback room that no one else really can. He was a starting-caliber player a rookie and should improve, provided he is on the field.

And therein lies the problem. Williams suffered a nerve injury in his shoulder that cost him the entire 2020 campaign, and didn’t regain feeling until early March. There has been no official update from the team medical staff, and nerve injuries are nothing to treat flippantly. Missing practice and game time is bad enough, but if Williams has been unable to work out his arms and upper body, that makes his comeback all the more difficult.

If he’s healthy, Williams will be competing for the second, third, and fourth spots on the depth chart at outside corner with Newsome and Troy Hill. Williams is a complete wild card at this point, but his return would bolster an already solid-looking secondary.