Tag: M.J. Stewart

M.J. Stewart: What the Browns are getting in their new CB

Scouting report and details on the Browns new slot CB

The Browns made a bit of an under-the-radar move on Saturday, claiming M.J. Stewart off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Stewart lives up to his potential in Cleveland, the slot corner won’t be under the radar for long.

Stewart is a 5-11, 195-pound cornerback who was Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He ran into a bit of a numbers game in Tampa Bay, which has spent significant recent draft resources on the secondary aside from Stewart.

He played in 21 games over his first two seasons, starting six. Stewart is almost exclusively a slot corner and that projects to be his path to playing time in Cleveland.

I featured Stewart as the Browns Wire “Prospect of the Day” back before the 2018 draft. The overall summary from that analysis has proven to be pretty spot-on based on his Buccaneers career,

An excellent tackler and aggressive run defender, he’s a great fit for teams who like to attack from the slot. Stewart is confident and exhibits a decent football IQ.

His lack of speed and inconsistent start to plays are real detriments.

He will need to anticipate routes better pre-snap to help mitigate his lack of long speed. Faster WRs will run away from him and Stewart doesn’t have the “chase” gear to catch up in the open field. It was even more glaring in the NFL than it was in college.

Being in the slot helps cover his lack of speed, and it also augments his value as a run defender and blitzer, an area where he thrived in college but the Bucs ignored.

In Cleveland, Stewart projects as the physical slot corner. He’s the opposite style of Kevin Johnson, the team’s other current slot CB. Stewart wins with physicality, press coverage and savvy run defense. He did miss some tackles in Tampa Bay but almost all were after the catch and not against the run. That speaks to his speed limitations and ability to play deeper down the field, which is why he’s not a lock to make the roster.

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Updated Browns 53-man roster prediction after opt-outs

Updated Browns 53-man roster prediction after opt-outs and additions

The projections for the Cleveland Browns 53-man roster were blown out of the water before the players even got on the field. Two players who were definitely making the final 53-man roster, OG Drew Forbes and DT Andrew Billings, opted out.

Three other Browns also opted out, though only guard Colby Gossett was a serious contender to make the final roster. The shifting on the offensive line changes the projection calculus.

Here’s where we’re at now with the 53-man projection…

QB – 3

Big change here. Garrett Gilbert now makes the final spot after being omitted earlier.

RB – 4

Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, Dontrell Hilliard. No change.

FB – 1

Andy Janovich. No change.

TE – 4

Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant, Stephen Carlson. No change.

WR – 5

Odell Beckham Jr. Jarvis Landry, KhaDarel Hodge, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones. Dropped one here to make room for the extra QB. Sorry, Damion Ratley.

OL – 9

We know the starting five will be (L-R) Jedrick Wills, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin. Chris Hubbard, Nick Harris and Kendall Lamm are the current reserves. I don’t think the ninth lineman is currently in Cleveland, with apologies to Evan Brown and Willie Wright. They’ll both make the practice squad and the liberal new rules on call-ups.

DL – 9

Starters (L-R) are Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon. Adrian Clayborn is a lock at DE, as is rookie DT Jordan Elliott. I think Chad Thomas will get every chance to prove he belongs with a new regime. I’ll add in Porter Gustin and Daniel Ekuale, though it wouldn’t surprise me if the ninth guy here is a nose tackle not currently on the roster.

LB – 5

No changes here. B.J. Goodson, Mack Wilson, Sione Takitaki, Jacob Phillips, Willie Harvey. That fifth spot is vulnerable to an outsider.

CB – 6

Swap in newcomer M.J. Stewart at the expense of UDFA A.J. Green, who will stick on the practice squad. Stewart joins Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Kevin Johnson, Terrance Mitchell and Tavierre Thomas, who is the Browns’ best special teams player.

S – 4

No change. Grant Delpit, Andrew Sendejo, Karl Joseph, Sheldrick Redwine. There could be a fifth here in J.T. Hassell, who can also double at OLB.

Specialist – 3

Not even a competition this year for PK Austin Seibert or P Jamie Gillan, with LS Charley Hughlett back for more as well.

Browns claim CB M.J. Stewart off waivers from the Buccaneers

Browns claim CB M.J. Stewart off waivers from the Buccaneers

The Cleveland Browns were busy on Saturday. In addition to activating four players, most notably Pro Bowl WR Jarvis Landry, the team also claimed cornerback M.J. Stewart off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stewart was waived by the Buccaneers on Friday in a bit of a surprise move. The 24-year-old was a second-round pick out of North Carolina in the 2018 NFL Draft and played quite a bit as the team’s slot corner in his two seasons with Tampa Bay.

The Browns are shallow at cornerback and in particular at the slot corner position, so Stewart stands a fair chance of sticking around if he can prove himself quickly with his new team.

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