The Cleveland Browns had one of the best defenses in the league two years ago.
Jim Schwartz turned that unit around in his first season as defensive coordinator, and while they were better at home than on the road, they looked poised for a dominant run for years to come.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case last season.
Some of that may have to do with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s season-ending injury or with how much time they spent on the field because of the offense’s inefficiency.
It also had to do with some regression from their secondary.
With that in mind, team analyst Mac Blank took to social media to state that the team desperately needed a bounce-back year from CB Martin Emerson Jr., who gave up six touchdowns last season alone.
A #Browns player in desperate need of a bounce back year
-Martin Emerson JrLast season he gave up more TDs (6) than he had his first 2 years (5)
If the defense is going to return to 2023 form, he needs to dominate opposite Denzel Ward#Dawgpound
pic.twitter.com/rKBCscXyop— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) June 23, 2025
Juan Thornhill’s lack of effort led to countless big plays, but Emerson wasn’t much better, even though he was trying.
Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II are still two of the best defensive backs in the game, but there’s only so much they can do when one of their teammates is constantly giving up big plays and getting burned when targeted.
Emerson looked like a promising player who could anchor the other side of the field opposite Ward for many years, but he now enters the season as a potential trade candidate.
He’s still young, and he’s a hard-working player, so there’s always a chance that last season will just be a blip on the radar.
But if that’s not the case, the Browns shouldn’t hesitate to get him off the field.
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Former Player Says Browns Rookie Will ‘Turn Heads’ This Season