3 pleasant surprises for the Browns after first preseason game

The Cleveland Browns first-team offense was non-existent on Friday night, but these three guys were all huge surprises in the Browns victory.

The Cleveland Browns got the jitters out of the way on Friday night, and now they are preparing for their season tune-up as they’ll host the Eagles at First Energy Stadium next Sunday afternoon.  Friday night was difficult facing a team who had already played one game, but the Browns found a way to win.

It was a struggle watching the first-team offense, but the second-unit guys came in and played well.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried about how bad the first unit played, but I think they do have plenty of time left with a much bigger game this Sunday.  While there was a good amount of bad on Friday night, there were a lot of pleasant surprises.  Here are my three biggest surprise players in week one.

3 surprises for the Cleveland Browns after first preseason game

Browns Surprise Player No. 3 – Martin Emerson Jr.

It’s not time to admit being wrong yet, but Martin Emerson Jr. showed me a lot on Friday night that I never expected to see — and he showed many others as well, earning a 93.1 grade from PFF which was the highest for any defender in Week 1. After multiple trade backs on draft day, disappointment would be an understatement for how I felt after the pick.

Not only did he have a few great plays in coverage, Emerson really changed the game with his fantastic interception which he took back for a touchdown. His length and tackling ability will give him a great shot at seeing a lot of snaps in 2022, which will allow Greg Newsome to move inside where he could be one of the best interior corners in the league.

Time will tell if this was a fluke or not for Emerson, but I was thoroughly impressed by his performance on Friday night. Transitioning from college to the NFL is difficult, and clearly coming from the powerful Southeast Conference (SEC), helped him make the transition.