Cleveland Browns: 5 players whose stock rose after preseason opener

These five members of the Cleveland Browns find their stocks up following the preseason opening win against the New York Giants.

Derron Smith might as well have been the defensive MVP for the first half. He only had three tackles, but what memorable tackles they were.

Smith stuffed receivers immediately after the catch and did so in a way that made you notice him. One stop, in particular, came on third down.

Smith, 26, came to the Cleveland by way of Cincinnati during the 2017 season. He played collegiately at Fresno State. This will be his fourth year in the NFL.

There was probably one spot open in the Browns’ secondary prior to Howard Wilson‘s injury. But now with two open roster spots, Smith’s performance should make coaches pay attention.

His hits made me think one thing: “This guy is Dawg Pound material.”

Meaning he’s not flashy, he’s not a big name, he’s just blue collar and he takes care of business.

Smith’s appeared in 38 games during his NFL career, but has yet to start.

He entered the preseason opener No. 3 on Cleveland’s unofficial depth chart at free safety, behind Damarious Randall and Brien Boddy-Calhoun, respectively.

There’s still a long way to go, but Smith helped himself tonight.