The Cleveland Browns closed out mandatory minicamp on a high note with the quarterback competition generating legitimate buzz and a roster full of young talent pointing toward a promising 2026 season. But not everything coming out of Berea this week was positive. One situation emerged quietly that could carry real consequences heading into training camp, and the way the coaching staff handled questions about it only added fuel to the fire. Safety Grant Delpit was absent from both OTAs and minicamp, and when the media asked Browns coach Ephraim Banda about it, he seemed to dodge the question.
“Browns defensive pass game coordinator Ephraim Banda said he won’t comment on the nature of injuries when asked about S Grant Delpit not practicing in OTAs + minicamp but added that his communication this offseason has been “phenomenal,” Oyefusi wrote.
Browns defensive pass game coordinator Ephraim Banda said he won’t comment on the nature of injuries when asked about S Grant Delpit not practicing in OTAs + minicamp but added that his communication this offseason has been “phenomenal.”
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) June 11, 2026
The timing makes this worth watching closely regardless of what the actual explanation turns out to be. Delpit is in the final year of his three-year rookie extension with the Browns, a deal worth $36 million that carries an $8 million cap hit in 2026 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027. A player entering a contract year who misses the entire offseason program without a publicly disclosed reason is a situation that naturally invites speculation, and the Browns have not done much to extinguish that speculation beyond Banda’s carefully worded non-answer.
Delpit has been one of the more quietly productive safeties in the league since overcoming the Achilles injury that wiped out his entire rookie season in 2020. Over five NFL seasons he has accumulated seven career interceptions across 78 games and developed into a reliable starter in the Cleveland secondary. In 2025 he appeared in all 17 games and was one of the more consistent pieces of a defense now being rebuilt around Jared Verse and Denzel Ward. He is not a national headline player, but he is a foundational piece of this secondary and the Browns would feel his absence if this situation drags into training camp.
The Browns also used a draft pick on Emmanuel McNeil-Warren this offseason, which adds another layer to this conversation. Investing draft capital at a position while the incumbent starter is missing the entire offseason program is the kind of roster move that sends a quiet message about organizational thinking regardless of what anyone says publicly.
Nobody outside the building knows exactly what is going on with Delpit. But the answer is coming when training camp opens in July.
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