Last year, the Browns picked up cornerback Greg Newsome II's fifth-year option that will cost them $13,377,000 in 2025. After three straight years of grading in the top 20 percent of cornerbacks in coverage grade, Newsome struggled like the rest of the Browns' defense in 2024. He finished 166th out of 222 cornerbacks in coverage grade last year, which was right around where teammate Martin Emerson Jr. ended as well.
In Jim Schwartz's first season with Cleveland in 2023, the talented cornerback trio thrived in the man coverage/cover-three heavy scheme. Emerson performed better on the outside, which prompted him to be the corner on the field alongside Denzel Ward in base packages last year, not Newsome. The former first-rounder expressed his discontent with the change earlier this offseason, as it could decrease his market value if he's viewed as a slot corner.
Browns could move Greg Newsome by trade deadline with no dead money
The Athletic's NFL staff wrote an article highlighting one contract worth watching for every NFL team. Newsome was the pick for the Browns, as Zac Jackson highlighted his contract structure on the fifth-year option as a potential reason a split could be easy.
Because of the structure, Jackson points out the Browns could move Newsome before the trade deadline in November and incur no dead cap for it. Cleveland could have to decide between Newsome and Emerson, and the future cap savings could give Emerson the nod unless there's a drastic difference in their play.
"Newsome is playing 2025 on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option worth a little over $13 million. That’s fine for now from a pure numbers standpoint as the Browns are counting on their defense to spark a turnaround in 2025. But Newsome doesn’t start in the base defense, and the fifth-year option structure means the Browns would incur no dead money if they traded him at some point before November. Both Newsome and Martin Emerson Jr, the team’s No. 2 cornerback, are only signed through 2025. If the Browns can only choose one for the future, given their cap issues, Newsome could be moved strictly based on the savings and 2026 cap rollover a trade would create."Zac Jackson of The Athletic
Newsome has found himself in trade talks since Emerson's emergence, as both will command a pretty significant contract on the open market, and teams aren't typically going to invest big money into three outside cornerbacks. Should Cleveland feel like it isn't logical to move forward with both Emerson and Newsome, trading Newsome and getting a return while creating cap flexibility seems like the smart move.
In a perfect world, Newsome and Emerson will show their 2023 form and prove they can co-exist on a dominant defense. Keeping both should be an option because of Schwartz's heavy use of man coverage, but only if both consistently perform at the level they are capable of.