Under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, the Cleveland Browns are starting fresh on defense and have a lot of opportunities for some young players to carve out a nice role for themselves. One of those young talents is second-round rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo, who has the versatility and athleticism to be quite a weapon for Rutenberg right out of the gate.
Cleveland sorely needed to add depth to the secondary this offseason behind Tyson Campbell, Grant Delpit, and Denzel Ward, and now with Delpit and Ward signing contract extensions, the core of the secondary is starting to take shape for the next few years. McNeil-Warren has an opportunity to slot in right alongside them if he can soak up as much knowledge as possible.
While speaking with the press on Thursday, McNeil-Warren spoke about what he has been learning in his first camp. He said it’s a lot different than college and mentioned focusing on the little things to make himself a better player.
“The biggest growth, I’d say, is just learning more football. See how they see the game at the next level. It’s different from college. Learning the fundamentals, having your eyes at the right spot, and getting the play down,” McNeil-Warren said.
learning to see the game on the next level pic.twitter.com/uKG5OHfKGQ
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 6, 2026
The rookie likely won’t start right away, but he should be able to earn plenty of snaps at safety, nickel, and as a rover-type of weapon for Rutenberg similar to how the Seattle Seahawks deployed rookie Nick Emmanwori last year. That’s a high bar, but those aren’t necessarily the expectations for McNeil-Warren. It’s more of a blueprint for what he could do for the Browns.
Ronnie Hickman will start at free safety again while Myles Harden is projected as the starting nickel, but McNeil-Warren should see time spelling both of them. It’s great to hear that he is just learning as much as possible during his time in camp, because this new regime has made it clear that if they trust their rookies, they’ll throw a lot on their plate right away.
He’ll be one of the most intriguing players to watch in preseason. Only time will tell what this defense is going to look like, but there’s already plenty of optimism that McNeil-Warren will be a huge part of the picture, potentially as soon as Week 1.
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