3 Early takeaways from Cleveland Browns 2021 OTAs

2. Grant Delpit and Greedy Williams are back

The Cleveland Browns secondary was a mess in 2020. The biggest reason for that was a rash of injuries that seemed to never end.

Denzel Ward missed time, Ronnie Harrison missed time, Kevin Johnson missed time, Karl Joseph missed time. We could go on about this all day.

In addition to those players, who were all key contributors in 2020, Cleveland lost two potential starters before Week 1. Both second-year player Greedy Williams and rookie Grant Delpit were hurt in training camp and missed the entire 2020 campaign.

Delpit suffered a torn Achilles whereas Williams was lost to a nerve injury in his shoulder. But both are at OTAs and were seen walking onto the field together — a great site for fans who want to see improvement in the team’s pass defense this season.

Each player is working slowly back and it’s probably too early to expect either to be anywhere near 100 percent. But seeing them on the field — even in shorts and no pads — is a giant step forward for players who have a whole lot of potential.

Delpit, as long as he’s healthy, will still be in the mix for a starting position. He will be battling Harrison for the No. 2 safety spot but defenisve coordinator Joe Woods also loves to employ three safeties and Harrison could excel closer to the line of scrimmage.

Williams, on the other hand, might have a tougher fight ahead of him. Cleveland added Troy Hill in free agency and Greg Newsome in the first round of the draft. That could make Williams the No. 4 cornerback heading into camp but if that’s the case, he might be one of the best fourth corners in the game.

Having said all that, the only thing that matters right now is the fact that they’re both getting some work in with their coaches. That’s a huge step forward for the young defenders.