3 Browns Most Likely to Be Traded at the Deadline

2. Greg Newsome II

The overall success of the Browns' defense has hidden some serious issues in the secondary. One of the biggest of these issues has been the play of Greg Newsome II.

Pro Football Focus has Newsome ranked 72nd among 115 qualifying corners with an overall grade of 59.6. But you don’t just have to trust their grading to see his struggles.

Newsome has allowed a whopping 124.5 passer rating when targeted in coverage, and he’s also already racked up 5 missed tackles on the season. 

Having an elite pass-rush that doesn't allow opposing quarterbacks time to scan the field or wait for deep routes to develop does wonders to make a defensive back's life easier, but even still Newsome hasn't been able to thrive.

This is the worst season of his career by a pretty sizable margin.

But the other side of the coin is that he's 23 years old and a former first-round pick with one more year on his contract. That first-round draft status is all but a guarantee that there will be another defensive coach out there who thinks he can unlock the best that Newsome has to offer.

The key to trading Newsome is that we can't afford to get much more thin in the secondary. So swapping him for another struggling young corner who Jim Schwartz thinks he can get the most out of would be the perfect move.