One glaring issue in recent prediction for Browns breakout player in 2024
By Randy Gurzi
![Cleveland Browns, Greg Newsome II, Grant Delpit Cleveland Browns, Greg Newsome II, Grant Delpit](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_7825,h_4401,x_0,y_232/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/56/01j38anf5d43vrm8a6vy.jpg)
We're just days away from training camp kicking off for the Cleveland Browns. Once that begins, things will speed up as they prepare for their Week 1 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.
Before then, however, we'll continue to look ahead with various predictions. One of the more common predictions to discuss is which players will take their game to the next level and become a breakout star. That's what Matt Holder of Bleacher Report was focused on recently as he predicted on breakout candidate for every team.
For the Browns, he picked Grant Delpit who is coming off his best season as a pro. Holder praised the work Delpit did in 2023 and says he should benefit from one of the top pass-rush units in the league.
"With a 78.5 passer rating when targeted and a career-high 75.5 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, Delpit is coming off the best season in the NFL." — Holder, Bleacher Report
It's refreshing to see Delpit get the praise but there's one problem in this prediction — 2023 was already a breakout performance for Delpit.
Grant Delpit broke out for the Browns in 2023
A second-round pick out of LSU in 2020, Delpit tore his Achilles during his first training camp and missed his rookie season. He returned in 2021 and by 2022, he looked fully healthy and was making big plays. That year, he put up 105 tackles and had four interceptions.
As impressive as the numbers were, he was still just 54th in the NFL according to PFF. That changed in 2023 when Jim Schwartz took over as the defensive coordinator.
Schwartz put Delpit in a position to succeed and he shot up to 31st in the league by PFF's rankings. He had 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one interception in 13 games. He was also able to make more impact plays, including seven tackles for a loss and seven quarterback pressures.
Cleveland rewarded Delpit for his performance by signing him to a three-year, $36 million extension ahead of their Week 14 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, Delpit was injured that week and saw his season come to an end.
Heading into 2024, he's fully healthy and ready to be a leader for this defense. And if Holder is correct and there's a chance he can take his game to yet another level, that could be a huge win for the Browns.
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