Tag: Greg Newsome II

Browns Greg Newsome II out Sunday, not placed on injured reserve

No Newsome in Week 4 but for how long will he be out? Who steps in for him as the other starter?

The Cleveland Browns have battled injuries throughout training camp and early into the season. A variety of players have missed games or been extremely limited during them.

On the offensive side of the ball, Odell Beckham Jr. returned just as Jarvis Landry went on injured reserve. Jedrick Wills has toughed out an ankle injury while his backup, Chris Hubbard, has missed a couple of games.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony Walker has missed games while Grant Delpit missed the opener but has been on the field for the next two games.

Sitting at 2 – 1, the Browns have managed to work through the injuries partially due to two straight games against lesser opponents. With a trip to Minnesota on top for Week 4, Cleveland will be without stud cornerback Greg Newsome II:

The good news is the second sentence. Not going on injured reserve means it is likely that Newsome will miss, at most, two games and could be back by Week 5.

In his place, Greedy Williams will get the start alongside Denzel Ward and Troy Hill. Williams missed all of 2020 after a poor showing in his rookie season. While he has had limited snaps in 2021, the Browns are confident he can step in quite well.

For his part, Newsome has had some early success at the NFL level, living up to his first-round billing. Hopefully the team will get him back on the field sooner than later.

Updated Browns depth chart does not have Greg Newsome II as injured

In the latest depth chart, Newsome is not listed as injured. Good sign? The team not have enough information yet? Withholding info from Minny? Also, is JOK finally listed as the starter?

The Cleveland Browns have injury concerns in a variety of spots on their team. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry and linebacker Anthony Walker are set to miss a couple more games while left tackle Jedrick Wills continues to strugle through the ankle injury he suffered in Week 1.

Coming out of Week 3, the biggest injury concern is with rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II. The Browns starting cornerback left Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with a calf injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski had no update on Newsome’s status for the media on Monday.

Today, the team updated their unofficial depth chart with Newsome not noted as injured. At the moment, only Sion Takitaki and Chris Hubbard are marked as injured on the depth chart. Wills, for example, is not.

The depth chart also does not show Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s role changed after a great performance in Week 3. Instead, the Notre Dame rookie is listed behind Mack Wilson for one of the starting linebacker spots.

It is possible that Cleveland does not have enough information on Newsome’s injury yet or are keeping their Week 4 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, guessing as long as possible. It would be greatly encouraging if Newsome is able to be full-go a week after leaving the game early.

The full depth chart can be found below:

Browns release TE Jordan Franks, add cornerback to practice squad

Franks was elevated and played Sunday but released today. Does adding a corner to the practice squad mean anything about Newsome’s injury?

The Cleveland Browns made a move on Tuesday to continue their shakeup at the bottom of their roster. General manager Andrew Berry and company have continued to make changes to bot their 53-man roster as well as their practice squad through the first few weeks of the season.

We do not expect that to change.

Tuesday’s move comes as a bit of a surprise. Sunday, the team elevated tight end Jordan Franks to their active roster for their game against the Chicago Bears. Franks played in nine snaps on offense and 11 on special teams in the Browns Week 3 victory.

The team released Franks from the practice squad on Tuesday.

In his place, the Browns added cornerback Herb Miller. Miller was on the Tampa Bay practice squad and active roster in 2020. He finished the season with five tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.

Miller was released from the Bucs practice squad a week ago.

An undrafted free agent, the Browns new cornerback is 6’2″ with good length. His athletic scores were not great coming out of Florida Atlantic but he does have some short-area quickness to go along with his size.

With the status of starter Greg Newsome II still unknown after a calf injury Sunday, Cleveland expects Greedy Williams to step into the starter role if needed. Miller joins Tim Harris, another 6’2″ corner, on the practice squad and is able to be called up, as Franks was, if the Browns need reinforcements for a game.

Greg Newsome II shares tweet with ‘DawgPound’ on his injury

The Browns first-round corner gave a quick update Sunday on his injury via social media:

In the midst of an exciting day for the Cleveland Browns defense against the Chicago Bears was a slightly concerning injury to Greg Newsome II. While Myles Garrett was busy putting rookie quarterback Justin Fields down for 4.5 sacks, the defense as a whole played very well on Sunday.

For his part, Newsome had three tackles and a pass breakup.

With Fields under constant pressure, he was sacked nine times, the Bears offense struggled to get anything going. While Fields had 68 yards passing, he was sacked for 67 yards giving Chicago a net passing yardage of one yard.

Late in the game came the announcement that Newsome hurt his calf. After the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski noted that the rookie cornerback would have more tests on that calf.

Later on Sunday, Newsome himself provided an update:

What we don’t know is what “good” means. It is possible that Newsome had tests done in the stadium after the game but that is not certain. It is good news that the young corner feels good enough to share the update.

Next week, the Browns travel to Minnesota to take on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. In Week 3, Cousins completed 30 of 38 passes for 323 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Cleveland will need a healthy secondary to help combat that kind of offense.

We will update Newsome’s status as soon as information is available.

CB Greg Newsome leaves game (OUT) with calf injury

While the game has gone Cleveland’s way, an injury to their first-round pick knocked him out of the game:

The Cleveland Browns are well in control of the Chicago Bears going into the fourth quarter. The defense has made rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ debut a nightmare with sticky coverage and a great pass rush.

Through about three and a half quarters, the Browns defense had held the Bears offense under 100 yards of total offense. The Chicago passing game could never get going especially with Myles Garrett setting a career-high in sacks.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, not all news was good for the team. Besides the offense having some struggles with Jedrick Wills’ injury limiting him. Possibly more important, rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II left the game early with a calf injury:

Little is known about the severity of the injury or when it occurred.

Newsome was playing well in the game, and so far this season. It is possible, with a big lead, the Browns are being cautious with their young corner but a calf injury could create problems.

We will update you as soon as we have more information.

Greg Newsome II performs, grades well in debut

The Browns didn’t get the win but may have hit a home run with their first-round pick:

The Cleveland Browns loss to the Kansas City Chiefs could sting for a week or two (and then again at the end of the season if it impacts a bye week or seeding) but there are positives to look at from the game.

The Browns offense was dynamic and helped the team control the game into the second half. The defense had their struggles but everyone does against the Chiefs.

The obvious gaffes on special teams, Nick Chubb’s fumble, Ronnie Harrison’s ejection, Baker Mayfield’s interception and leaving Tyreek Hill one on one with John Johnson III all came back to haunt the team.

One of the positives on the defensive side of the ball was rookie first-round pick Greg Newsome II. While Hill and Travis Kelce torched the Cleveland defense, Newsome wasn’t picked on, a good sign for the rookie in his debut:

 

Pro Football Focus graded Newsome with a 67.3 coverage grade for the game. Not great but good given the offense they were facing and it being his first game in the NFL. Ward graded at 64.0 while Greedy Williams struggled at 31.5 in coverage.

Rookie CB Greg Newsome II could be a major part of Browns’ new pass defense

The Browns are hoping that first-round rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II can add to their rebooted secondary. Laurie Fitzpatrick takes a look at Newsome’s preseason tape.

Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II was selected by the Cleveland Browns 26th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Newsome’s 4.3 speed and 6-foor-1 frame, he was one of the most versatile cornerbacks in the draft playing mostly Cover-3 and Cover-4, but able to keep up with the fastest receivers man-to-man as well. In the five games he played in 2020, he didn’t allow a single third-down completion (0-9). Newsome had an impressive 83.8 coverage grade from PFF (82.3 from Man Coverage and 85 from Zone Coverage) and allowed a 31.7 passer rating when targeted.

Throughout preseason with the Browns, Newsome’s versatility and comfort level from the outside to the inside has shown to be essential in Joe Woods’ defense. Last week, Woods mentioned how game-to-game he plans to play a matchup style defense; which can be the reason why Newsome’s adaptability lead him to be the starter the last few weeks. He is an aggressive player who can match-up outside and inside with his closing speed and high football IQ that can dictate an offense. 

One thing we notice right off the bat about Newsome is his ability to read a play pre-snap and post-snap. As a rookie, Newsome remained composed as the Jaguars offense ran deep crossers to try and catch the corners off-balance.

Newsome was able to make a call to the other corner to make sure that he knew the receiver from the left side was coming his way. Communication like this, from a rookie, is something you love to see.

Right off the snap Newsome has shown the ability to stay in front of any receiver opposite of him. On this run play (below), it’s the receiver’s job is to try and sell a go-route but Newsome stays with him through his release.

What we like about this clip (above) is his ability to get immediate acceleration off the snap to get in front of his receiver making sure he wont be stacked, keeping his leverage.

When Newsome is getting worked through the receivers stem, he is able to stay step for step with receivers and maintain a very good speed and space; then in zone he keep his eyes down field reading the quarterbacks eyes so he can make his play on the ball.

On this play in joint practices (above) the Browns needed a stop in order to end practice; Newsome stepped up for his team and picked off Daniel Jones. Its understandable that Newsome’s second position labels him as a free safety.

One area of his game that needs work is tackling in space. Against the Atlanta Falcons (first clip, below) Newsome was in zone and one his receiver motioned to the opposite side, he became free. Once he saw the running back got a handoff, he was free to make the play on the ball, even though it wasn’t pretty, he did his job and got his hand on the ball carrier.

When Newsome isn’t able to make a tackle in open space, he does everything he can to bring down a ball carrier. Whether that is getting his hand on the ball or a shoelace.

Against the Jaguars week one of preseason, he was matched up against Collin Johnson who stands at a massive 6 foot 6, but Newsome was not intimidated.

Getting off the block wasn’t actually accomplished, but he remained aggressive through the whistle.  Against the Falcons (second clip, above) he was unable to get off the block but actually used the receiver to stop the ball carrier in order to remain in the play making the tackle. Now that is some ingenuity as a slender cornerback!

With the additions of safety John Johnson III and cornerback Troy Hill from the Rams in free agency, and (hopefully) the return of safety Grant Delpit from an Achilles tendon injury that cost Delpit his entire rookie season, the Browns are in a much better place to defend the pass than they were in 2020. Newsome looks to be a big part of that regenerated effort.

Video shows Greg Newsome II “rag doll” receiver attempting to block

Known for his speed, quickness and versatility, the Browns first-round pick shows his physicality here:

While the NFL is a pass-first league and cornerbacks are paid (and drafted) to cover receivers, being physical in the run game can still be important. That is especially true in the AFC North where Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Joe Mixon and Najee Harris are expected to lead quality rushing attacks.

When the Cleveland Browns drafted Greg Newsome II much of the focus was on his speed, quickness and scheme versatility. Expected to play both inside and outside, Newsome has started to show his versatility during training camp and the preseason.

In this clip, he also shows his physicality as he throws a Giants receiver off of him instead of allowing himself to continue to be blocked:

 

The selection of Newsome in the first round will be judged on how he locks down opposing receivers and makes plays on the football in the passing game. If he can show this kind of physicality, the Northwestern alum will quickly become a fan favorite in Cleveland.

Video: Greg Newsome II shows great speed, hands in OTA INT

Video: A quick look, from Building the Browns, at the click and close by Newsome followed by great hands and sideline footwork from OTAs earlier this offseason.

As the Cleveland Browns have Sunday off, the team’s media department released their latest Building the Browns. The episode highlighted a lot of things from the team’s offseason training activities, specifically the mandatory portion.

We saw a lot about linebackers coach Jason Tarver’s energy and focus on details, spent a little time at Jarvis Landry’s softball tournament and got a look at some of the ramp-up work being done during OTAs.

One highlight that stood out involved the Browns top pick from the 2021 NFL draft, Greg Newsome II. The Northwestern cornerback was drafted with the 26th overall pick and is expected to come in and compete for the starting role on the outside. With Denzel Ward locked in at one of the outside roles, Newsome is expected to compete with Greedy Williams for the other to play along with Troy Hill in the slot.

In the play below, Newsome played zone coverage and broke on the ball quickly showing great hands and feet to complete the interception:

 

At the 14 minute mark of the video, we see bad timing between Baker Mayfield and Donovan Peoples-Jones but a great click and close reaction from Newsome. His ability to drive on the ball in his zone responsibilities are exceptional.

Lauded for his sticky defense, ability to play in multiple coverages and this speed, Newsome could be vital as Cleveland tries to keep up with the strong passing attacks in the AFC. Plays like this are a great sign that he will be able to do just that.

Browns top draft pick, Greg Newsome II, welcomes Cavs top draft pick, Evan Mobley, to Cleveland

Top draft pick to top draft pick: “Welcome to Cleveland!!”

When the Cleveland Browns made Greg Newsome II their top draft pick of the 2021 NFL draft, the Northwestern cornerback quickly embraced the city. Newsome was seen at the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Indians games shortly after being selected.

For Cleveland fans, it is great to see new players embracing the other sports teams from the city. We’ve seen it in the past from some of the city’s sports greats including Joe Thomas and LeBron James attending Cavs and Indians games. We’ve seen it recently with Baker Mayfield and many other Browns as well.

Last night, the Cavs selected USC forward/center Evan Mobley with the third overall pick in the NBA draft. The Cleveland NBA team has struggled since James left for a second time and hope Mobley is the transcendent player who takes their young core to the next level.

Top Cleveland draft pick to top Cleveland draft pick, Newsome welcomed Mobley to the city shortly after the selection:

 

Great to see the young Browns cornerback paying attention to and embracing the city’s other sports franchises. With training camp opening to fans, fans can’t wait to get a chance to embrace Newsome’s play on the field in the same way he’s embraced the city.