The Cleveland Browns’ defense was so strong and steady through an otherwise tumultuous 2025 season that hardly anyone noticed its weakest link.
Without a doubt, the problem area was the cornerback group — just about everyone in the room outside of perennial Pro Bowler Denzel Ward.Â
The Browns lost a key piece in Martin Emerson Jr., who suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in training camp. Cleveland wound up heading to Week 1 with Ward and Greg Newsome II on the outside, and former seventh-round pick Myles Harden as the main slot corner.
Barely a month into the season, GM Andrew Berry made a move to bolster the group. He pulled off a savvy trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, swapping Newsome for starting cornerback Tyson Campbell and a swap of late-round draft picks. The trade improved Cleveland’s secondary overnight, as Campbell’s ability to play sticky man coverage on the outside opposite Ward paired well with ascending safety duo Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman.
As for Harden? He was asked to handle a major role somewhat on the fly. And while the team often covered for him well, the nickelback — or the fifth defensive back often tasked with covering the opponent’s slot receiver in three-plus wide packages — wound up being the most vulnerable spot on the field for opponents to exploit.Â
One year later, with a new head coach in Todd Monken, a new defensive coordinator in Mike Rutenberg, and an entire new team and vibe entering 2026 training camp, the Browns find themselves in a painfully familiar position. They’re short on cornerback depth across the board, with the nickel spot the most head-scratching of all.
In Part III of our Dawg Fight series breaking down the most important position battles ahead of camp, we’ll try to uncover one of the big mysteries Cleveland’s new regime has yet to answer: Who will own the slot in Year 1 of the post-Jim Schwartz era?Â
The Dawg Fight for nickelback: An internal struggle
If Cleveland’s 2026 offseason had a theme, it would be something like: “Getting offensive.”
The Browns hired one of the NFL’s top offensive coaches and play callers in Monken. They went heavy on O-linemen during the first wave of free agency. They even used eight of their 10 selections in the 2026 draft on offensive players, adding two wide receivers, two tackles, a center, a quarterback, and a pair of tight ends.
The defense was largely an afterthought, aside from swapping veteran linebacker Devin Bush with Quincy Williams, and drafting a potential stud safety in Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The biggest change, of course, came on June 1, when the Browns traded the centerpiece of their defensive operation, Myles Garrett, to the Los Angeles Rams for young pass rusher Jared Verse and a package of three future draft picks.
Cornerback ended up being an afterthought, as the Browns passed on offering a second contract to Emerson and instead signed a bevy of veterans and undrafted rookies.
McNeil-Warren brings a versatile skillset to Cleveland, but it’s worth noting that he covered the slot on just 11 percent of his total plays in college, according to Pro Football Focus. If he were to become a regular factor on defense as a “big nickel,” it could take some time for the coaching staff to get him there.
What’s left is Harden and a host of new competition who won’t only be battling each other, but the field of external candidates. Cleveland’s starting nickelback may not even be on the roster yet, but for this exercise, it’s all about the players working to convince Berry and Co. that a late addition or trade isn’t necessary.
The top contenders for Browns’ nickelback job
Myles HardenÂ
- Why he can win the job: Continuity. Harden wound up playing 529 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2025, per PFF, with 428 of them in the slot. The fact that Berry hasn’t added a big name, like Kenny Moore II, to the mix speaks volumes.
- Why he can lose the job: Poor performance. As mentioned earlier, Harden was one of the Browns’ weakest links on defense in 2025. PFF graded him 106th out of 112 qualifying cornerbacks due in part to his struggles against the run (57.1 grade), missed tackles (12), and penalties (6).Â
Myles Bryant
- Why he can win the job: Scheme fit. Bryant spent the past two seasons playing under Matt Burke for the Houston Texans. He served as mostly a rotational slot corner and box safety with a core role on special teams. Burke comes from the Schwartz coaching tree, and the Browns showed interest in Houston assistants Cory Undlin and Dino Vasso before hiring Rutenberg with an eye on keeping Schwartz’s system largely intact. That only makes the decision to sign the versatile Bryant all the more intriguing.
- Why he can lose the job: Rising young talent. Bryant should not be overlooked in Cleveland’s nickelback competition, but he’s entering his age-29 season, and the Browns could opt to stick with the younger Harden, or one of the team’s UDFAs, if the competition is close in camp.
Michael Coats Jr.
- Why he can win the job: NFL readiness. Chad Reuter of NFL.com named Coats among his top remaining cornerbacks following the draft, and the Browns were able to snag the UDFA with a three-year contract that included $115,000 in guarantees. Coats is an older prospect as a former community college transfer who just turned 25 in June, so he should be able to compete for reps right away this summer.
- Why he can lose the job: Lack of experience. While Coats profiles as a nickelback in the NFL due to his size at 5-foot-9, 184 pounds, he was mainly a boundary corner at both Nevada and West Virginia. He’ll be learning on the fly this summer and could benefit from a year on the practice squad.Â
The X-factors that could make or break the nickelback competitionÂ
Run defense
The Browns ranked 16th in the NFL at defending the run in 2025, thanks in part to a brutal midseason slump following defensive tackle Maliek Collins’ season-ending leg injury. The rock-bottom moment came in Week 14 at home against the one-win Tennessee Titans. Tony Pollard gashed the Browns for over 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns in that game.
According to PFF, Harden finished the year with 14 run stops — total. The Browns will have to be more formidable in the slot this year, and the new coaching staff could prioritize that more physical mentality this summer.
Blitzability
The Browns were largely a “do what we do” type of defense under Schwartz, who had the luxury of calling plays with Garrett rushing off the edge. This new iteration under Rutenberg could be more about disguising coverages and sending pressure, rather than relying so heavily on one game-wrecking pass rusher.
Special teams
Harden logged the sixth-most special teams snaps for the Browns while operating as their starting nickelback last year. If no clear frontrunner emerges in camp, the Browns could default to the player who can help them the most in other ways.
Bryant was a core special teams player at Houston. Coats logged regular snaps last year on West Virginia’s punt return and field goal block teams.
Prediction: Myles Bryant edges out Harden, Coats as Browns’ Week 1 slot corner
Of the Browns’ top internal options, Bryant checks the most boxes entering Monken’s first training camp. The former undrafted player out of Washington has played for both Bill Belichick and DeMeco Ryans, and he brings an edge and toughness the Browns have been missing in the slot in recent years.
Bryant has been an excellent run defender since his second year in the league, earning a PFF grade over 70 in that department in each of the past four seasons. He has over 60 total run stops in his career, including 11 last season for Houston in a complementary role.
While his coverage metrics have been more up and down, Bryant hasn’t been hit with an accepted penalty on defense since the 2023 season. He was reportedly around the ball often during spring OTAs, and the guess here is that he carries that momentum throughout the summer.Â
Bryant’s tackling prowess should give him the inside track, but if he fails to separate, Harden and Coats will be waiting in the wings to take the job.
Fight card: NickelbackÂ
- Leader: Myles Harden
- Challengers: Myles Bryant, Michael Coats Jr.
- Projected winner: BryantÂ
- Confidence level: 2 out of 5Â
- Decision date: Midway through training camp
The next Dawg Fight: Right guard (Thursday, July 9)
Add us as a preferred source on Google