Tag: Greg Newsome II

Browns PFF grades: Who were top 10 defensive performers vs. Ravens?

Who graded out as the top ten defensive players for the Browns in their win over the Ravens?

The Cleveland Browns got contributions from both their offense and defense in their 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. We have already looked at the Browns PFF grades for the offense, and now we take a look at the defensive players who graded out the highest in this victory according to PFF.

They created two turnovers and came up with a fourth down stop in the redzone against the Ravens yesterday, playing complimentary football. With three games left to play, can defensive coordinator Joe Woods save his job?

Who were the top 10 performers for the Browns in this one according to their PFF grades?

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Browns’ top 10 defensive players in Week 13, per PFF

Who were the highest-graded defensive players for the Cleveland Browns against the Houston Texans this week?

Make it two weeks in a row where an opponent has failed to rush for over 100 yards despite half of them coming on the opening drives. Joe Woods has his Cleveland Browns defense playing a “bend but don’t break” mold of football over this two-game win streak, and he even saw his unit score two touchdowns on the day against the Houston Texans.

With contributions from a variety of unexpected players, the Browns were able to limit the Texans to just 14 points, with half of them coming in garbage time. Looking purely at PFF grades, who were the top ten defensive players for the Browns this past Sunday?

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Video: CB Greg Newsome returns to practice Thursday

Newsome is seen in the video warming up in individual drills Thursday:

The good news keeps on coming for the Cleveland Browns. Wednesday, rookie DE Isaiah Thomas returned to practice. Thursday, CB Greg Newsome II has done the same.

Newsome has sat out practices since injuring his hamstring. He did not play in either of the team’s first two preseason games and, given only returning on Thursday, is unlikely to play Saturday night against the Chicago Bears.

Newsome’s role on Cleveland’s defense is set to change in his second year after having an excellent rookie campaign. With Troy Hill traded back to the Los Angeles Rams, Newsome will slide inside as the team’s primary nickel cornerback in 2022.

The OBR’s Fred Greetham shared a video as Newsome warmed up in individual drills today:

Along with Newsome and Thomas, DE Chase WInovich and WR Michael Woods II missed the Eagles game with injuries and have not returned to practice.

The Browns still have over two weeks before they open the season in Carolina to get all their players healthy.

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Stefanski gives small injury update on CB Greg Newsome II

A positive but vague update on the Browns starting cornerback:

The Cleveland Browns, like most teams, have dealt with their share of injuries during training camp and the preseason. The biggest blow so far has been losing starting center Nick Harris on the second snap of the season.

The nagging injuries are still concerning. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, CB Greg Newsome, WR Michael Woods II and DE Chase Winovich all sat out due to hamstring issues. DE Isaiah Thomas hurt his hand and missed the game.

Tuesday, HC Kevin Stefanski gave an update on Newsome noting that he will be returning to practice soon and that he is “getting close” to being able to practice.

Thomas was away for the birth of his daughter but was returning to the team Tuesday night. It is possible that Thomas could play with some kind of protection on his injured hand but we will have to wait to see if he plays against the Chicago Bears.

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Browns Vs Eagles: 4 Browns expected to miss due to injury

While many key contributors will sit, we know four who are not expected to play due to injury:

The Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in preseason action at 1 PM today. With a wet field likely and two days of joint practices this week, it is unlikely that either team is going to risk many of their key contributors.

The Browns have already announced that most starters will not play this week including QB Jacoby Brissett. QB Deshaun Watson will also not play against the Eagles or in the team’s preseason finale.

While most players will sit for protective reasons, Cleveland will be without four players due to their injury status:

  • CB Greg Newsome II
  • DE Isaiah Thomas
  • DE Chase Winovich
  • WR Michael Woods II

Newsome, Winovich and Woods all are dealing with hamstring issues while Thomas hurt his hand in practice.

None of the four are considered significant at this point but the Browns want to make sure they are as healthy as possible for opening week in three weeks.

With Thomas and Winovich out, two of the 10 players we were excited to see today should give even more of a chance to stand out: Isaac Rochell and Chris Odom.

Follow The Browns Wire on Twitter for all game day related information.

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Sunday Practice: Newsome, Woods out, Garrett misses, no Harris update

A few news and notes on injuries and Garrett not at practice Sunday:

The Cleveland Browns returned to the practice field in Berea to continue training camp after their first preseason game. The Browns took the victory from the Jacksonville Jaguars but have a lot of things they hoped to work on.

A lot of Cleveland’s key players sat out Friday night’s game including just a few with injuries.

Unfortunately, OL Nick Harris was hurt on the second snap of the game and the offense under QB Deshaun Watson struggled greatly. Saturday, HC Kevin Stefanski said it was likely Harris was out for the year.

Sunday, Stefanski informed the media that QB Jacoby Brissett would take over the majority of first-team snaps in place of Watson. The Browns still await the results of an appeal of Watson’s six-game suspension that could lead to him being out much longer.

A few injury updates and more on players missing Sunday’s practice:

Bengals receivers disdain Browns corners; Ward, Newsome respond

Bengals say it is “on sight” when they see Browns corners, Ward and Newsome respond. They could have referenced the Browns four straight victories over the Bengals as well:

The Cleveland Browns may have rivalries in name with teams in the AFC North but their decade-long struggles have minimized the rivalries on the field. The playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a fun start to try to revive that long-storied rivalry but both teams have new quarterbacks since then.

The team ripped from the heart of Cleveland by Art Modell has dominated the team that replaced them but the Baltimore Ravens suffered through many injuries last year but still swept the Browns.

It is the Cincinnati Bengals that Cleveland has had more recent success against including last year. Despite the Bengals making the Super Bowl, the answer to the question “Who Dey (think gonna beat them Bengals)?” was the Browns. The 41-16 and 21-16 victories weren’t enough for Cleveland to make the playoffs but the wins made an impact.

The last time Cincinnati beat their in-state rival was Week 17 of the 2019 season. The last time the Browns lost at home to the Bengals was Week 4 of the 2017 season.

Cincinnati’s receivers are particularly focused on facing Cleveland’s cornerbacks:

Denzel Ward took notes and responded on Instagram (as recorded below):

Second-year corner Greg Newsome II, who was mentioned in the video above, also took note of the comments:

 

The Bengals have a talented trio of receivers in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, that receiver talent hasn’t led to victories over Cleveland very often recently.

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Andrew Berry draft review: Greg Newsome II off to a good start

Moving ahead to the 2021 draft from Berry, Newsome was very good as a rookie but a few minor concerns are there as well:

With training camp just a few days away, it is a perfect time to do some reviews for the Cleveland Browns. This offseason has been the third for GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski together. While their tenures are going to be marked primarily by their decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and move on from Baker Mayfield, there is more to review.

For Berry, returning to the Browns was a chance to make his name outside of that of Sashi Brown. Brown brought Berry to the Browns but proceeded with one of the biggest tear-downs and rebuilds that had ever been seen in the NFL.

When Berry was hired, he made it clear that he would be aggressive in running the front office and that much has been clear.

With his third draft having just been completed, we take a look back at the first two drafts and what has been seen so far. His first selection was LT Jedrick Wills, who we looked at earlier this weekend. This second selection was safety Grant Delpit out of LSU, who we have also covered.

DT Jordan Elliott provides an interesting situation as a player who could start but also could be competing for a roster spot in 2022. LB Jacob Phillips is in a similar situation with injury concerns and lack of opportunities real concerns.

The team’s fourth-round pick, TE Harrison Bryant is another interesting player to look at from Berry’s first draft. With Austin Hooper gone, Bryant has an increased role this year. Another player with a chance to finally have a time to shine is fifth-round pick OL Nick Harris.

We finish looking at the 2020 draft class by Berry with WR Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Now we are on to the 2021 draft class where Cleveland’s first two selections were the highlight as the event took place from “The Land.” CB Greg Newsome II was Berry’s first pick last year:

2021 NFL redraft has Newsome, JOK going much higher

Thankfully it isn’t real but this redraft shows just how good the Browns first two picks were in 2021:

The Cleveland Browns defense made some significant upgrades in 2021. It took them some time to figure things out together but the additions of John Johnson III, Jadeveon Clowney, Anthony Walker, Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah worked out very well for the team.

While the addition of Troy Hill left a lot to be desired and led him to be traded this offseason, GM Andrew Berry’s overhaul of the defense was impressive.

The Browns return most of the key pieces on their defense while adding a few other players. The development of Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah in their second years will be vital to the team’s success. Newsome is already being talked about as a Pro Bowl candidate.

If it were up to Pro Football Focus’ redraft, Cleveland wouldn’t have Newsome and would have had to use a much higher pick to get their linebacker. PFF has the New England Patriots selecting Newsome with the 15th overall pick while the Browns have to nab the Notre Dame product with their first round instead of their second-round pick.

On Newsome’s move up in the redraft:

Newsome may not have had an interception as a rookie, but he had eight pass breakups and showed some really sticky coverage all season.

As for JOK:

Another team to stick with one of their players but in a different draft spot, the Browns found a good one in Owusu-Koromoah, so much so that they would be happy to grab him again a round earlier. JOK looked like a defensive rookie of the year candidate early in the season before injury stalled his progress, but his all around skill set is game-changing for this defense. He had impressive PFF grades in every area except tackling, where 15 misses was more than you would like to see.

Thankfully, the Browns got both and are looking forward to seeing them develop in their sophomore seasons where more will be expected of them. Thankfully, the team has continued to surround them with talent to allow them to succeed and develop at the same time.

Greg Newsome II has Pro Bowl potential in 2022

The Browns defense may need to be lights out in 2022 and second-year man Newsome would be an important part of that:

The story of the Cleveland Browns offseason has revolved around Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield but it is Jacoby Brissett that could see the most snaps at quarterback for the team. If that happens, the team’s excellent offensive line and deep running back group will have to lead the way on offense along with new addition Amari Cooper and the returning David Njoku.

The Browns would also need to rely on their defense to keep them in games with Brissett behind center. Thankfully, the defense looked up to the task in the second half of the 2021 season and returned most of their important players in 2022.

The return of Jadeveon Clowney was huge for the team as was the long-term extension given to Denzel Ward.

It is the development of some of their younger players that could take the defense to the next level including Grant Delpit, Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

According to Nick Shook of NFL.com and former writer for Browns.com, Newsome is well set up to make his first Pro Bowl in 2022:

Newsome looks like he was a wise choice for general manager Andrew Berry in the first round of the 2021 draft, and although he’ll have plenty of quality competition for a spot (starting with his teammate), Newsome has arguably the best chance of any current Browns player to make his first Pro Bowl.

Shook also notes Donovan Peoples-Jones as a potential first-time Pro Bowl candidate.

With Ward on one side, Newsome may get thrown at more often giving him a bigger chance to make plays on the ball. Interceptions, pass breakups and forced fumbles are a great way to draw the attention of voters.

If Watson is given a significant suspension, the defense will need to be outstanding to help the team reach its goals. Newsome having a Pro Bowl season would help that become a reality.