Heading into his fifth-year option and the final year under contract with the Browns, cornerback Greg Newsome II expressed his displeasure with his lack of playing time after being used more as the third cornerback behind Martin Emerson Jr. and Denzel Ward. Emerson was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and quickly became a staple of the defense after a strong first two years.
Since Emerson's arrival, Newsome has been constantly in trade talks, since he will likely want to be paid as an outside cornerback. The latest rumor surrounding Newsome is in an article by CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, who projected the former first-round pick to get moved to Minnesota
Greg Newsome moved to Vikings in latest trade prediction
Benjamin brought up the Vikings losing both Stephon Gilmore and Cam Bynum as to why they could be interested in Newsome. Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. seem fit to handle a lot of the work in that room, but they would be banking on a resurgence from former third-overall pick Jeff Okudah as of now. Benjamin also brings up that Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was with Cleveland's front office when they selected Newsome in 2021.
"Minnesota spent big to address both trenches this offseason, but the one non-quarterback spot that lacks top-end answers is the secondary, now sans veteran starters like Stephon Gilmore and Camryn Bynum. Forward-thinking general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in the Browns' front office when Cleveland spent a first-rounder on Newsome in 2021, and at just 25, the former Northwestern standout has the upside to become a longer-term option for Brian Flores' defense. Why would the Browns give up such a young chess piece? Despite his draft reputation, Newsome managed just three starts in Jim Schwartz's unit in 2024, and he's headed into a contract year."CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin
With Newsome and Emerson both heading into contract years, it feels unlikely that both will get second deals to remain in Cleveland. If Emerson were coming off a better 2024 season, Newsome likely would have been traded already. However, it might make more sense to keep both to start the year and see how each is trending before committing to one over the other.
The cornerback room is one of the spots where the Browns have a nice selection of talent. They cannot afford to choose the wrong guy in this situation, so it's probably worth the risk to keep both on the 53-man roster and see how each performs with a hopefully slightly better situation compared to a year ago.