The Cleveland Browns keep making moves for the future.
Ironically, that includes bringing back an aging player who wasn’t on the field much last season.
They kept veteran safety Rodney McLeod Jr. to help him anchor their secondary defense, not only on the gridiron but also in the locker room.
McLeod arrived in Berea last offseason.
He made 10 appearances and logged one pass breakup, two tackles, and 29 tackles.
However, a biceps injury landed him on the injured reserve list, putting an early end to his season.
Now, entering his 13th season, the Virginia product is looking forward to running it back and embracing a mentorship and leadership role in the locker room.
In an exclusive interview with the team, McLeod stated that he felt like he wanted to give back and spread his knowledge to the younger generation, which is what other veterans did for him when he first entered the league (via Cleveland Browns on YouTube).
An undrafted free agent signed by the Los Angeles Rams, he’s a well-proven player with 166 career appearances (143 starts).
He’s played for the Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and now the Browns, posting 718 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, two sacks, 18 interceptions, one pick-six, 61 pass breakups, one quarterback hit, nine fumble recoveries, and two fumbles recovered for touchdowns.
Every team needs veterans to rely on.
While their impact on the field might not be as big as it would originally show in the box score, their input, knowledge, and mentorship could end up making or breaking any locker room.
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