Getting to Know The Browns' New Secondary
Cleveland's injury bug has slammed the defensive group. The Browns defense is one of the best in all of football and up until this point in the season, they have successfully avoided the injury bug. This week that all changed.
Last week's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars took a toll on this defensive group. They lost Maurice Hurst, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Grant Delpit to (regular) season-ending injuries.
They will also be down safety Juan Thornhill who is battling a calf injury and All-Pro Denzel Ward is still listed as questionable.
Nov 19, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman (33) tackles Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
© Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
If you do the math there, the Browns will be down their top three safeties that they came into the season with. Rodney McLeod and Grant Delpit are on the shelf with season-ending injuries and Juan Thornhill is unavailable for this one. That means we are going to see an entirely new group on the back end of the defense.
Going into Sunday, the Browns will go with these three guys at safety, Ronnie Hickman, D'Anthony Bell, and Duran Harmon. Hickman and Bell have been special teams guys all year so their names should be familiar, but Harmon is new to the program. It will be on these guys to keep the Browns in it on Sunday.
Let's get to know these guys.
#33 Ronnie Hickman
Hickman is a rookie undrafted free agent from Ohio State. The former Buckeye made his mark last week as he came in after Thornhill was a gameday scratch from the lineup and he played great. He finished Sunday with two tackles and one pass defensed in his first start. More importantly, he gave up no big plays against a great Jacksonville passing attack.
#37 D'Anthony Bell
Bell is in his second year with Cleveland hailing from the University of West Florida. While he has been mostly a special teams ace for the Browns, he came in and played very well last week. He finished against the Jaguars with three tackles and now has five on the season. He has only appeared in four games this year for Cleveland. He appeared in 14 games last year for Cleveland and on his career has 20 total tackles.
Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns safety D'Anthony Bell (37) lunges to tackle Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
© Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
#30 Duron Harmon
Harmon came into the NFL in 2013 when the Patriots drafted the young defensive back from Rutgers. He would build a fantastic career in Foxboro winning three Super Bowls. Since leaving the Patriots in 2019, he has played in Detroit, Atlanta, Las Vegas and most recently Chicago. He appeared in three games this year for the Bears before being cut in November. In his last relevant time, he was a key piece of the Raiders secondary last season where he finished the year with 76 tackles and two interceptions. If he can pick up Jim Schwartz's defense quickly, he will be a great addition to this secondary.
Sunday will be a massive test for this group, it will be on them to hold down the back end of the defense.
