The Browns boasted the No. 1 passing defense in the NFL in 2023. Cleveland allowed just 2,800 passing yards on the year for 164.7 yards per game.
That doesn't happen by accident. Quality defensive play-calling as well as top-tier cornerbacks played pivotal roles in the Browns' shutdown secondary.
This unit has some big names with former No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward and No. 28 pick Greg Newsome II patrolling the skies. But neither Ward nor Newsome cracked Doug Farrar's top cornerback list heading into 2024.
That honor went to 2022 third-rounder Martin Emerson, who finished his second season with four interceptions and allowed the lowest completion percentage and quarterback rating among cornerbacks with at least 50 targets thrown against them.
Here's what Farrar had to say about Emerson:
Jim Schwartz’s Browns defense was fun and fascinating to watch for all kinds of reasons last season, and one was how Schwartz and his staff maximized the abilities of a great group of young cornerbacks. Martin Emerson Jr., selected in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Mississippi State, found Schwartz’s schemes especially beneficial. Emerson saw his opponent passer rating allowed drop precipitously from 85.6 in his rookie season (pre-Schwartz) to 53.3 in 2023. That put Emerson fourth in the league among cornerbacks playing at least 50% of their teams’ snaps.
Moreover, Emerson is a killer in press coverage. He was in press on 139 of his 943 snaps last season, and when targeted in press, he allowed eight catches on 26 targets for 4.2 yards per catch, three explosive plays, no touchdowns, and no interceptions — but a lot of disappointed receivers. Not a lot of people are talking about Emerson as an emerging star at a national level, and it’s time for that to change.
Emerson's emergence is a huge reason why the Browns' defense will be among the best in the NFL in 2024. The stout secondary coupled with a wildly talented defensive line highlighted by Myles Garrett is scary for any offense to play against.
The Browns made the playoffs in 2023 as a wild-card team despite a rotating list of quarterbacks and offensive linemen. If everyone stays healthy and Cleveland can continue to build on its impressive campaign from a season ago, the defense could once again push the Browns to the postseason.
