Among those whose eyes opened very wide when they saw the new contracts the Cleveland Browns gave to defensive backs Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit had to be teammate Ronnie Hickman. As a member of the Browns’ heralded secondary, and able to become a free agent after this season, Hickman knows what could be on the line for him during this campaign.
Even though his replacement in Cleveland may have been added during the 2026 NFL Draft, Hickman could boost his market value substantially with another solid season. After taking a step forward this offseason, he is likely already on the radar of multiple teams around the league.
Hickman recently earned a nod among the NFL’s best safeties, with Pro Football Focus ranking him No. 28 at the position entering this season.
“Hickman has played just 1,827 snaps over his three-year career, but he’s looked good when on the field with a 75.7 overall PFF grade. Hickman’s status for 2026 and beyond is somewhat up in the air as he enters a contract season — and with the Browns nabbing second-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren — but the 24-year-old is a promising player who can unlock another level by getting more consistent against the run,” Bradley Locker wrote.
It is worth noting that the well-regarded Delpit is not included on PFF’s list of the top 32 safeties in the NFL, and he just received a three-year contract worth $48 million, with $35 million in guaranteed money, to avoid becoming a free agent after this season. Hickman, who can become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason, is playing this year on a restricted free agent tender worth $3.52 million.
In addition, Ward received a two-year, $62.2 million extension that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. While Cleveland does have multiple starters who are going to be playing on their rookie contracts for the next few seasons, it is unknown if the organization is willing to continue to spend on its secondary so that it is able to re-sign Hickman as well. That is likely why the Browns traded up to select McNeil-Warren in the 2026 NFL Draft as a potential replacement.
An undrafted player out of Ohio State, Hickman has impressively increased his defensive snap counts from 47 percent as a rookie in 2023 to 99 percent last season, when he started all 17 games. He more than doubled his career high with 103 combined tackles and had two interceptions in 2025.
With so much on the line for him personally this season, it will be interesting to see if Hickman can continue his improvement and cash in with the Browns or someone else.
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