The Cleveland Browns' entire roster has been under large amounts of scrutiny this offseason. That alluring, mysterious "tanking" word has been invoked in regards to the future for this franchise.
The answer to so many desperate sports fans' woes, is this idea that seemingly spawned in recent times - that losing, and thus rocketing up the draft board - is the all-healing solution to that Lombardi Trophy itch. Of course, nothing is that simple.
Some are wondering if 2023 was simply an aberration, a flash-in-the-pan. That 2024's deplorable season is more indicative of the talent on this roster. These are fair questions, but as outlined in other articles detailing where the Browns stand at each position group, something has become increasingly clear.
The Browns, while in absolutely dire straits, still have a lot of youthful talent on their roster.
Particularly, on the defensive side of the ball, and even more specifically, in the defensive backfield. The cornerback situation was summed up Thursday, and today we'll dive into the safeties, the last line of defense, where the Browns feature some young and intriguing talents.
We'll also cover Special Teams, to put a bow on the entire roster.
Evaluating Browns' safeties and special teams
The star of the group is Grant Delpit, who like a lot of the Cleveland fanbase, has been through it all with this team.
A torn achilles wiped out his rookie season, he had to rehab and recover in a depth role in 2021, and finally in 2023 a year of playoff football for the Brownies - Grant was sidelined by a groin injury that knocked him out of the game, though he did get the personal acclaim of a Pro Bowl berth.
Delpit was able to stay mostly healthy in 2024 - playing 16 games. Pro Football Focus rated his season as above average, as he finished ranked 42nd (out of 98) qualifying safeties. He was unable to snag any interceptions, but he did finish with 111 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and recovery, and 1.0 sack.
Read more: NFL analyst names solid Browns defender as potential cap casualty
He will assuredly be back next season - a release before June 1st would result in an additional $12.2 million cap charge that the Browns simply can't take. He will still be only 26 years old when the season kicks off.
The two other safeties who remain under contract after playing significant roles last season are Ronnie Hickman and Juan Thornhill. In the eyes of PFF - Hickman continues to ascend as a rising star in the league following a strong rookie season for the former undrafted Buckeye. He was graded as the 14th best safety in the league - allowing only a 79.4 passer rating in his coverage area.
Thornhill was graded 40th in the league, despite having a supremely bloated 137.2 passer rating allowed in his coverage area. He might seem like a decent candidate for the Browns to move on from, seeing as Hickman is much cheaper and seemingly has earned more playtime. However, a release before June 1st would actually cost the Browns an additional $2.2 million cap charge.
Chris Edmonds and Trey Dean inked futures contracts with the Browns following the season, and will likely compete for depth spots in training camp. Rodney McLeod Jr. is an unrestricted free agent, and special teams maven D'Anthony Bell is a restricted free agent, allowing the Browns to retain him cheaply if they choose to.
The performance and grading laid out above indicate that the safety position should be an extremely low priority for the Browns. In fact, one could argue, that the group as currently constituted would rank among one of the league's best next season.
As far as Special Teams go, the Browns return their triumvirate from last season. Dustin Hopkins, Corey Bojorquez, and Charley Hughlett. Hopkins followed up an exceptional 2023 with a major dud. He finished 18-of-27 on field goals (66.7%) and 17-of-20 on extra points (85%).
His field goal percentage ranked dead last of any kickers who played more than 10 games, ditto for his extra point percentage.
The Browns have little recourse for this struggle as Hopkins signed a big contract just before the season. A release before June 1st would result in an additional $2.8 million cap charge. If there is any changes to the Special Teams' unit, it would likely be here, with the Browns forced to stomach the financial consequences.
Corey Bojorquez turned in another fine season, finishing 5th in PFF's grading system (out of 33), an identical standing to his 2023 campaign. The Browns ineptitude contributed to Bojorquez leading the league in punts and punt yardage, but the nuanced look, including 36 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line indicate Corey is continuing his excellent play.
Charley Hughlett is under contract for year 11 with the Browns organization as the team's long snapper. He will have compeition from his injury replacement, Rex Sunahara, to retain his starting job.
The only additional note of intrigue is that the Browns did sign some kicking competition for Dustin Hopkins, Andre Szmyt was signed to a futures contract. Szmyt has never kicked in the NFL, his 5-year run at Syracuse resulted in him finising 85-of-105 on field goals (81%) and 199-of-203 on extra points (98%).