The Cleveland Browns continue to transition to a younger roster. While they've made it loud and clear that they don't intend to tank next season, moving on from Myles Garrett showed that no one is truly untouchable in Cleveland.
That might be especially true for veterans, though Denzel Ward has also reaffirmed his desire to stay in Cleveland. As for Grant Delpit, his situation might be a bit more complicated. He's just 27 and a very good player, but he may have lost his leverage on the team this offseason.
The Browns' silence on Delpit and his contract situation, along with his absence from on-field practices at minicamp, has raised questions about his future. Also, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reported that the team is high on Ronnie Hickman, and with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren entering the mix, Delpit could end up being the odd man out.
"The Browns believe former Ohio State safety Ronnie Hickman has made a 'major step' forward as he enters his fourth NFL season," wrote Pluto. "He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and worked his way into the starting lineup."
Has Grant Delpit become expendable for the Browns?
Delpit has been a stalwart of the Browns' secondary since he entered the league. He's a criminally underrated, versatile player who consistently brings maximum effort on every play. There's no football reason to even consider moving on from him.
The Browns don't need to make any rash decisions here. Yes, they must figure out how to get McNeil-Warren on the field as early and often as possible, whether that's at safety or nickel, but it shouldn't come at Delpit's expense.
As Pluto noted, Hickman's arrow is trending up. He's proven to be a tireless worker himself who's outplayed his projected value as a former undrafted free agent. The Browns got a true bargain with Hickman, which leads to the next point:
Safeties aren't considered premium players in the NFL, at least market-wise. So it's hard to believe that Cleveland would get much in return for Delpit via trade given his expiring contract.
Granted, that doesn't mean the Browns should let Delpit walk away without at least getting a late-round draft pick in return. If he's not in their long-term plans or prefers to test free agency in 2027, not moving him would be poor asset management. But if none of that is the case, keeping all three safeties beyond this season makes plenty of sense.
The addition of McNeil-Warren may have made Delpit somewhat expendable. That said, McNeil-Warren is a rookie, so the Browns still need to see where he's at in his development and whether he can deal with the physicality of a 17-game NFL season.
The Browns don't have to trade anyone right now. But if an offer makes sense or there's something else going on behind closed doors, Delpit may not be in Cleveland for much longer.
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