Early in camp, the Cleveland Browns lost starting cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. to a non-contact Achilles injury. While that injury was tough, it is a position where the Browns had some depth with guys like Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome, who are both starting-caliber corners in the NFL.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski said Greg Newsome II is doing well as he works back from a shoulder injury. His workload will increase as they ramp him back up.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 19, 2025
It was starting to get a little questionable with Newsome yet to practice because of a shoulder injury, with not a ton of updates other than he was progressing from Kevin Stefanski.
#Browns CB Denzel Ward injured his right shoulder in a 1 on 1 drill today and went inside. Was in pain. No update from the team yet.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 19, 2025
Things now get worse as Mary Kay Cabot reported on Tuesday afternoon that Ward came up injured in practice after a one-on-one drill. There is no team update at this point, but Ward did walk inside the building on his own after the injury.
With Ward and Newsome healthy at cornerback and Cameron Mitch as the nickel, I have confidence in this secondary. But if at any point Ward and/or Newsome have to miss significant game time, this secondary becomes a huge question mark.
Remember, Jim Schwartz loves to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, and if he doesn’t have coverage behind that, it will be difficult to run his scheme.