Browns Top 5 Position Battles In Training Camp: #2 Free Safety
Both will play this season, but one of the more important position battles for the Cleveland Browns will be at free safety between Andrew Sendejo and second round rookie Grant Delpit.
Save for the Sheldrick Redwine, the Browns have basically scrapped their safety position and started from scratch. Gone are Damarious Randall, Juston Burris and Eric Murray, who signed elsewhere in free agency, replaced by Karl Joseph, Sendejo and Delpit.
The Browns drafted Delpit to take this job. It's entirely a question of when he's ready to do it. Sendejo is only on a one-year deal, approaching the end of his career, but he has been a good, albeit unspectacular safety with the Minnesota Vikings for virtually his entire career. He understands what they want him to do, has a track record of doing it and should help the rest of the safety room in the process.
Delpit has the physical tools, both in terms of his size and athleticism to be a franchise caliber free safety. His ability to see the game and process at a high level is impressive. He can contribute in coverage and cause turnovers.
The issue for Delpit has been consistency in tackling. And there are real technical failures for Delpit when it comes to putting ball carriers on the ground. He doesn't drive with his legs on contact enough, doesn't always wrap and there are plays to be made that he simply misses as a result.
The news isn't all bad with Delpit's tackling. Despite the missed tackles, he still racked up a ton in college. The situation is similar to Joe Schobert when he entered the league. The key is that just like Schobert, both consistently put themselves in position to make plays and it's a matter of increasing the percentage of them they are able to finish. If Delpit becomes like Schobert at the end of his time in Cleveland, he will greatly reduce the missed tackles, leaving him one of the more impactful defenders on defense.
The Browns didn't draft Delpit to sit this year. And while the abridged offseason and lack of OTAs, minicamps could prove detrimental to Delpit taking the starting job early, he will play.
Joe Woods wants to be able to run three safeties on the field. That could come in the form of a big nickel or big dime look. Big dime seems to be where Woods wants this team to go, having three corners, three safeties and just one linebacker on the field.
Delpit has experience working from the slot in his time at LSU. His size is a huge asset. He's got two inches and about thirty pounds on Kevin Johnson, who is slated to be the team's slot corner. If Delpit can get his feet under him quickly and be a consistent physical presence, he could prove invaluable against teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers who have multiple viable tight end threats.
Ideally, Delpit offers a credible run stopping threat that can cover tight ends. If he can do that, it allows the Browns to avoid feeling the need to play a third linebacker when it's unclear they even have two. It gives them more speed and range on the field as well.
Regardless of the schedule which Delpit takes the job, the Browns are going to have to find a replacement for that third safety next year. Maybe Redwine can step into that role. He does have an interesting skill set, having played in the slot and at free safety, but it's a position the Browns will want to keep adding, because it's important to their overall defensive scheme.
Sendejo and Joseph could both only end up being on the Browns for one season. Joseph has a better chance to stick longer, provided he can stay healthy. Delpit, meanwhile, is someone the team is banking on to take a job and be a good player. His rookie contract would help balance out the extension they're going to give Denzel Ward in another few seasons.
If Delpit is good enough to take the job from Sendejo as a rookie, that would be a really good indication that he's going to be a successful pick and strengthen the Browns secondary. If he can't take it immediately or doesn't get it this season, it would not be the end of the world. Sendejo wasn't the sexiest signing, but his skill and wisdom should be of significant value to the Browns this season.
