Grant Delpit injury could give Emmanuel McNeil-Warren first real Browns opportunity

The top storyline of Friday’s Cleveland Browns practice was the presence of franchise legend Nick Chubb, who signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Brown.

The most newsy takeaway, though, was the key Browns starter who wasn’t even in uniform. 

Cleveland concluded its prep for Sunday’s home opener without safety Grant Delpit, who has been limited all week with a shoulder injury. It’s unclear whether Friday’s session was a downgrade or simply a precaution, but Delpit was officially listed as questionable, meaning there’s a chance the Browns could be without one of their best defensive players against the Carolina Panthers. 

"We'll see," head coach Todd Monken said of Delpit and cornerback Tyson Campbell, who will also carry an injury designation into the weekend. "Hopeful they'll be able to go."

That’s obviously bad news. The only silver lining is that safety might be Cleveland’s deepest position group.

Fans have been waiting to see more of second-round rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, the former Toledo standout who flashed at times during training camp and has played well on special teams so far this season.

Whether Delpit gets ruled out or tries to play through his shoulder issue on Sunday, McNeil-Warren stands as the next man up in what could be the next big development for Cleveland’s 2026 draft class.

Browns fans could get to see whether Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is ready to handle a real defensive role

When the Browns traded up for McNeil-Warren during Day 2 of the 2026 draft, fans immediately started to dream of a defense that deployed three-safety — or “big nickel” — schemes with their own version of Seattle’s Nick Emmanwori. 

That never materialized during training camp. McNeil-Warren mixed in some as a third safety, but the Browns remain fully committed to Delpit and Ronnie Hickman as their main starters. Cleveland has also shown a lot of confidence in Myles Harden at the nickel spot, and there has been no indication from the Browns so far that McNeil-Warren could be trusted in the slot covering tight ends and wide receivers.

His role through two games can be best described as part-time. He played just 14 defensive snaps in the season opener at Jacksonville, a telling number when you consider that game was as good as over in the second quarter. He logged 10 snaps in Week 2 against Tampa Bay as Cleveland’s defense locked down Baker Mayfield and led the team to its first win of the Todd Monken era.

His biggest impact has been felt on special teams, where he’s carved out a core role. McNeil-Warren made three special teams tackles against the Buccaneers, but coordinator Byron Storer hinted that the rookie’s role could soon be expanding well beyond kick coverage this season.

“I’m really happy we get a chance to work with him,” Storer told reporters Thursday. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to work with him, because I’m sure he’ll have more of a role as we get going here on defense, but he can really do anything. He’s got incredible athleticism and length, size, speed, so there’s not a lot he can’t do on special teams for me. And so, he has great versatility for us on special teams. I think he’s only going to get better and better and better at anything he does.”

How the Browns could deploy McNeil-Warren if his role increases in Week 3

All three of Cleveland’s safeties are versatile in the sense that they can play both deep and up in the box. McNeil-Warren’s role is somewhat easy to predict, especially if he’s asked to fill in for Delpit in some capacity this week.

McNeil-Warren has mostly aligned as a free safety in his limited reps, lining up deep on 17 of his 24 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That could change if he’s paired with Hickman, as Hickman is at his best when he’s playing center field. 

The vision for McNeil-Warren has always been more of a play-making box safety who mixes in at the nickel spot against the right look. His final year at Toledo was telling, as he aligned in the box or slot on 434 snaps compared to 198 as a true free safety, per PFF.

Delpit’s injury doesn’t appear to be overly serious. He didn’t do much on the field this week, based on what could be reported, but he was out there. There’s a chance he has no restrictions against the Panthers.

McNeil-Warren is definitely next in line, though, and Week 3 has a chance to be a turning point in the young defensive back’s career.

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