The Cleveland Browns should consider some positional changes in 2022.
It just dawned on me, that in all of the conversations about what the Cleveland Browns need in 2022, safety isn’t really a topic of conversation and it should be. John Johnson had a fine 2021, at least at the end but he was inconsistent and a liability throughout times last season and was easily outplayed by M.J. Stewart.
Stewart, a former cornerback turned safety, was the best safety the Browns had in 2021 but he left the team when they decided he wasn’t worth bringing back and went down to Houston. Losing a player, who had a flat-out great year in every metric, was a huge blow and it set the Browns’ defense back.
So how do you replace him? There aren’t any safeties available who could match the production Stewart put out, so you have to hope to find another gem like Stewart and hope that new player blossoms as the former Browns cornerback did.
Thankfully, the Browns have a few key players that aren’t getting time as is, and could get time at safety if they’re given a shot. Not content with just looking at replacing and filling spots in the secondary, we have a third option, this time a player moving from one offensive position to another.
Yet, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that David Njoku would’ve been a prime candidate to move from tight end to receiver, had Austin Hooper not been cut. It looks very much like Njoku will be TE1 heading into 2022. So the talks of him changing positions really wouldn’t make sense.
As this is about strengthing weaknesses, not taking a strength and weakening it.
Troy Hill former cornerback to safety
Troy Hill may be the most physical cornerback I’ve ever seen. That’s not something to take lightly, either. I’ve watched a lot of football and the one thing you could always say about corners is that they hate tackling. You can blame Deion Sanders for that terrible prejudice. Yet, it’s mostly true, corners are not great at making open-field tackles against running backs.
They’re usually the guys getting plastered. Not all, at least not anymore, but still, none are more physical than Hill. Hill loves throwing down. That’s the kind of mentality you need as a safety. That type of aggression and physicality really helps a player stand out among his peers.
Now, moving a corner to safety is actually more common than you think. Stewart did it last year, but so have guys like Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Aeneas Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, and countless others.
It’s a shockingly easy transition to make, but it only works if you’re physical enough to walk up to the line of scrimmage on occasion and meet a running back out of the backfield with a bit of force. So, we know that Hill has the physicality, why not see if he can be an every-down starter? He’s got to be better than Ronnie Harrison.
The other reason this works is the depth at corner. The Browns have Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams. They’re likely to add to that pool as well, considering Williams is in the last year of his contact.
Hell, even the most staunch detractors of Andrew Sendejo would probably like Sendejo over Harrison. Give Hill a shot, people.
Tony Fields from linebacker to safety
My hope is that the Browns somehow, someway, get their hands on Leo Chenal, the pass-rushing linebacker out of Wisconsin. He could play both linebacker and defensive end and could be a player a lot like Chase Winovich. Winovich is another guy who can play multiple positions, an asset for any time. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a standout, Anthony Walker had a solid year and is back in the fold, and Sionne Takitaki continues to earn a spot each and every year.
Making guys like Tony Fields more and more expendable. Fields and Owusu-Koramoah were drafted partly for the same reasons, they were slightly undersized, overly quick linebackers with the capabilities of playing safety. Unless the Browns stumble into three younger, more skilled, obvious hall of fame talents at linebacker, Owusu-Koramoah isn’t going to be playing safety at all in his career.
Fields, however, may not only be an option but a realistic one. He’s the kind of guy that could really make an impact with his strength at the position. He’s anything impressive at linebacker, but where there is an opportunity there could be potential. No one should misconstrue the situation. Fields is not going to be as good as MJ Stewart in year one. He’s got too much work to put in.
But he could be better than Harrison and really, that’s all we’re asking for.
Demetric Felton from running back to wide receiver
The Cleveland Browns need another wide receiver. That’s not up for debate. In some of the Mock Drafts I did, I took as many as two in the draft. Why? Because the Browns lost basically their entire receiving corp from the start of 2021. Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and practically everyone else. They have Amari Cooper, who’s fine but he’s not a real number one. He’s an upgrade over Beckham and Landry, sure, but he’s not an elite guy. No matter what his contract says. Donovan Peoples-Jones isn’t a starter but he could be a fine third or fourth option. Then you have Jakeem Grant and Ja’Marcus Bradley.
I promise you more people remember Darrin Chiaverini and the departed JaJuan Dawson than know those two. Neither Chiaverini nor Dawson has been on the team for over 21 years. So that should tell you bad the receiving corp is.
As Neil Flynn said in “Major Leagues”, “Who the f— are these guys?!”
I envisioned an offense with David Njoku lining up at receiver, and man, those thoughts were glorious. Just thinking of a 260lbs mack truck running over these little corners. The chaos would’ve been maketable. Yet, he’s now TE1 in the Browns’ offense. That doesn’t mean the Browns don’t have an option, they do, Demetric Felton.
Felton is now fifth on the depth chart, being Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, and Dexter Williams. Why is Williams over Felton? I don’t know, the talk is the Browns are high on him. If Felton wants to live up to the hype that so many gave him, despite being a sixth-round pick, the Browns should move him to receiver.
While a threesome of Cooper, Felton, and Peoples-Jones doesn’t put the fear into anyone, it is an upgrade over Bradley and Grant. Considering Felton has dual-threat talents, he could make the move and not really miss a step, considering he’s a pass-catching running back already.