The Cleveland Browns desperately need players to step up on both sides of the ball in 2025 to get fans excited about this rebuilding phase.
While the offense was a focal point of the offseason after averaging a league-worst 15.2 points per game last season, there is plenty of room for improvement on defense as well.
One defensive player in particular was recently predicted to be the most improved player on the Browns this season.
Martin Emerson Jr. could take a big step forward and get back to being one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL.
“I fully expect in a contract year for a guy looking to break the bank for the first time in his career, I think MJ is on track to not only get back to being the Browns’ unquestioned second-best corner, but back into that top 30-35 overall cornerbacks in football,” Mikey McNuggets said via the Ultimate Cleveland Sports show.
Cleveland’s defense took a step back in 2024 largely due to how bad the offense was, as well as injuries, but Emerson was a constant and appeared in all 17 games.
He had a career-high 80 combined tackles, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for a cornerback, with five passes defended and no interceptions.
He had four interceptions in 2023 as the Browns made the playoffs, and at 24 years old, there is plenty of reason to believe he could be in for a nice bounce-back year as a pending free agent.
He and Denzel Ward can form one of the league’s best cornerback duos, and if they are able to do so, the Browns defense should be much improved.
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