With training camp concluded, NFL teams recently got their rosters regular-season ready, going from roughly 90 players to 53. Of course, rosters will continue to change leading up to the season, and throughout the year, but everyone now has a good idea what each team’s strengths and weaknesses are.
For the Cleveland Browns, one of their biggest weaknesses is clear after looking over the 53-man roster. While the entire football world is focused on Cleveland’s quarterback room, fans should be extremely concerned about the depth of the cornerback room.
Based on the Browns’ initial 53-man roster, Cleveland is a Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell injury away from a disaster in the secondary.
Browns’ cornerback depth should keep fans up at night
Cleveland’s starting corners make up one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. Denzel Ward is especially elite, and Tyson Campbell has ascended into a quality corner since joining the Browns after a midseason trade in 2025. As long as they are on the field, Cleveland should be one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The depth behind Ward and Campbell is where the problem starts. The Browns’ backup corners are Mekhi Blackmon, Michael Coats Jr., and Myles Harden. Blackmon just joined the team after camp once he was claimed on waivers, Harden primarily plays in the slot, and Coats is an undrafted rookie who put together an impressive camp.
While Coats’ roster spot shows that he was the best of the depth corners in training camp, the overall theme that fans picked up on is that the reserve corners struggled. That was evident in practices, and in Cleveland’s three preseason games. The hope is that Blackmon can be an improvement, and that Coats will continue his development after a promising training camp.
What fans are hoping for even more than that is that Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell can stay healthy. While Ward has dealt with injuries throughout his career, the good news is Ward has been pretty durable in recent years. In 2024, the five-time Pro Bowler played 16 games. Last season, the star corner took the field for 15 games.
Additionally, Campbell is coming off a season where he played 17 games, five with the Jacksonville Jaguars and 12 with Cleveland.
Unfortunately, football, and injuries specifically, are unpredictable. There’s no way to really predict who will or won’t have to miss time. Football is a brutal sport, and injuries are going to happen; all teams can do is get prepared for when they strike. As things currently stand, the Browns don’t seem all that prepared to lose one of their top corners.
If that proves to be true, it would be a nightmare, because Cleveland’s starting defenders make up a really strong unit, and the expectation is that the defense will give the team a fighting chance while the offense develops. It’d be terrible if one injury sent that plan down the drain.
Add us as a preferred source on Google