The Cleveland Browns made a rather easy decision with Greg Newsome II.
They picked up his fifth-year option before the start of the season, and that decision is already paying off.
As shown by PFF CLE Browns on X, he had the ninth-highest grade among all cornerbacks in Week 1 (78.0 PFF).
Newsome saw 25 snaps in coverage, forcing one incompletion and just eight receiving yards allowed.
Greg Newsome II in Week 1:
🟠 78.0 PFF grade (9th among CBs)
🟤 25 coverage snaps
🟠 8 receiving yards allowed
🟤 1 forced incompletion pic.twitter.com/a5u01GfE1v— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) September 11, 2024
Newsome II looks poised for a breakout campaign, and he’ll look to keep things going in Week 2 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He played at least 86% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in each one of the three seasons he’s been in the league.
The season opener was his 42nd regular-season game, and he’s made a total of 40 starts.
The Northwestern product was tangled up in trade rumors, but the Browns’ decision to pick up his option pretty much put an end to all speculation.
The Browns have put together one of the best secondary defenses in the entire league, with Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson Jr. also leading the way there.
Now, the rest of the team will have to pick up the slack and rise up to their level as well, as their effort in the season opener was far from expected and from what we saw from them last season.
This team has the potential to have one of the most dominant defenses in the league, and with Deshaun Watson struggling so badly, this might also be their best chance to get back in the playoffs.
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