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Andrew Berry Confirms That The Browns Want To Keep Greg Newsome II
On Tuesday, Greg Newsome II responded to his name being mentioned in trade rumors. Just two days later, Browns general manager Andrew Berry essentially confirmed that the nickel corner is not going anywhere.
As Greg Newsome II's name swirled in NFL trade rumors, the cornerback responded to those rumors by stating that he is comfortable in Cleveland.
It feels like those rumors have died down in the past week or so and Browns GM Andrew Berry may have completely ended that conversation.
During his press conference with the media at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Berry had this to say when asked about Newsome and the cornerbacks.
"We have three guys, who can play press-man coverage at a very, very, very high level. That's not a skill set that I'm looking to give away."
Nothing is ever a one hundred percent guarantee when it comes to roster decisions in the NFL, but unless another team comes calling with an outlandish offer for Newsome, then it is safe to assume Andrew Berry and company will not be making any changes to Newsome's status.
Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) celebrates the win versus Chicago.
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Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plays an aggressive brand of football. Last year proved that he wants his corners to feel comfortable playing in press-man coverage for the majority of a game. As AFC teams like Houston, Miami and Cincinnati load up with dangerous wide receiver rooms, it is important that Denzel Ward, MJ Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II are prepared to play physical and blanket receivers in tight coverage.
An extremely impressive stat for Cleveland's cornerback trio came from ESPN's Next Gen Stats back in December. Each corner ranked in the top four of coverage success rate during the 2023 season. Only Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears ranked up there with the Browns' cornerbacks.
The Browns will only look to build off what they have already built in the secondary rather than tear things down and start all over. This makes logical sense.
Andrew Berry has now given the fans, the media and the rest of the NFL the opportunity to turn their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft rather than rumors that don't carry a lot of weight.
