The Cleveland Browns defense was worrisome in just one area in 2024, and that's their secondary. While Denzel Ward was completely solid in his defense there this past season, essentially no other cornerback stood out amongst the pack - and that's an issue for the Browns in 2025.
Between the ineffectiveness of Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II, and the lack of help from other players in the secondary like safeties Juan Thornhill and Grant Delpit, the team struggled to find turnovers and takeaways on defense when they desperately needed them.
Unfortunately for Cleveland's cap space, Emerson and Newsome are signed through 2025, with Newsome's contract hitting their cap with a huge $13,377,000 hit. Emerson's contract, which is only $3,864,780 against the team's hit, can likely be moved in the offseason. But, Newsome's will be trickier to maneuver.
So, how can the Browns fix their cornerback woes - and is it possible to do so before 2025?
Cleveland's possible solutions to cornerback issues in 2025
Trading Emerson in offseason
Emerson's contract will be very appealing to other teams in need of cornerback depth in 2025. With a smaller cap hit in addition to the promise of him getting back to form from 2023, when he had four interceptions, team's are likely to be into the idea of acquiring him for a later pick.
Read more: Isaiah McGuire and 2 sleepers from the Browns 2024 season
At just 24 years old, Emerson has a ton of promise still left. Cleveland would likely rather hold onto him for at least another year to see if he can just bounce back in his fourth season. But, they're in a spot where they can't bank on players' potential anymore - they need sure fire defenders in the building.
Trading Newsome in the offseason
If Cleveland really wants to make moves to alleviate their cap space, they should try to deal Newsome and his $13 million dollar contract this offseason instead of Emerson's. Attaching a pick might be necessary considering how hefty this contract is, and considering how off of a year Newsome had in 2024. It'd be worth it if it meant Cleveland has the flexibility to bring in smaller contracts, though.
Newsome only had one pick in 2024, and just five passes defended. Compared to 2023 when he had 14 passes defended and two interceptions, he clearly played far below expectations considering he's due such a big payday in 2025 and 2026.
Keep both Newsome and Emerson, but acquire low-cost CBs in offseason to compete
The Browns can also just bank on both Emerson and Newsome to improve their games in 2025, especially considering that they did play a lot of extra snaps in 2024 due to the offense's incompetence.
But, Cleveland needs to bring in at least one or two more veteran cornerbacks to compete with them in training camp for a starting role, whether that's for motivation or to legitimately steal their role.
Someone like Brandon Stephens with the Baltimore Ravens, who played 92 percent of snaps for the Ravens in 2024 and picked up 10 defended passes in 17 games could be a nice complement to Ward in the secondary. Going through the draft to snag a corner like Azareye'h Thomas to compete in training camp with Emerson and Newsome could also push them both to lock in for a more successful 2025.