Finally, Cleveland Browns fans were able to see safety Grant Delpit on the field.
He missed all of the 2020 season after rupturing his Achilles in training camp.
The hope was that Delpit would be able to make a full recovery for the beginning of the 2021 season.
Sadly, that didn’t happen and Delpit was forced to miss Week 1 due to a lingering hamstring injury.
Although, he finally took the field for the first time against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
Delpit Makes An Impact
The former second-round pick wasted no time making his presence known on Sunday.
He took his first snaps of his career and feasted on the Texans offense.
Delpit finished the game with five tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble in the win over Houston.
The biggest play of the game for Delpit was a sack-fumble on quarterback Davis Mills, which looked impressive from the snap.
Grant Delpit’s first strip-sack of hopefully many in his #Browns career. Great timing and tackle. pic.twitter.com/M8omUjeg5q
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 20, 2021
He also almost picked off Mills in the third quarter, but failed to haul it in.
In the fourth quarter, Delpit dropped Mills for a nine-yard loss that knocked the Texans out of field goal range.
This was an impressive debut coming off an injury that claims the career of about 26% of the players who suffer it.
To be fair, the Browns were facing a third-string quarterback for a majority of the game, but Delpit made the most of his chances on the field.
What’s Next For Delpit?
It was one game, but Delpit’s debut didn’t go unnoticed.
In fact, he achieved something that both Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney didn’t on Sunday.
Delpit recorded a sack, which somehow neither Garrett nor Clowney could do against the Texans suspect offensive line.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski gave Delpit praise for his sack after Sunday’s victory.
“I thought that was great,’’ Stefanski said of the sack. “It was good to see him get some reps, and first time out there playing to make a big play when we needed it. I thought he did a nice job. We’ll have to grow that role as we go.”
The Browns are certainly excited about Delpit’s future in the league.
He played mostly in three-safety sets, but also replaced Ronnie Harrison at times in two-safety looks.
It would be surprising to see the Browns give Delpit the starting nod after one performance.
However, his role on defense should increase, assuming he continues playing like he did in Week 2.
It’s going to take some time, but the Browns have an exciting young safety in Delpit.
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