The 2025 season is a big one for Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
Much has been made about the Cleveland Browns quarterback competition, but that has overshadowed a potential big decision on the team’s stalwart defense.
Mere months after Myles Garrett’s contract dispute nearly landed him on another team, the Browns also have a less-big yet still-important call to make on cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
Emerson plays opposite franchise cornerback Denzel Ward yet earned only a 47.9 grade for his cornerback play due to Pro-Football Focus.
Still, according to Cleveland.com Browns writer Dan Labbe, Emerson is likely to get a big contract extension from the Browns.
Why Will The Browns Re-Sign Martin Emerson Jr?
Emerson is slated to enter the final year of his rookie contract, and the 6-2, 201-pound cornerback from Mississippi has equipped himself as a physical defensive back.
He finished second on the Browns with 80 tackles last season and was tied for second behind Ward in passes defended (5), even though it was a career low. He only has four career interceptions but is averaging 67 tackles and 11 passes defended per season and supplanted Greg Newsome as a corner on the outside.
“This isn’t so much about whether the Browns consider Emerson a part of their future — they likely still do and an extension still seems like a reality,” Labbe wrote. “It’s more about how much of a commitment they make to him.”
Labbe compared the decision to sign Emerson to that of safety Grant Delpit, who inked a three-year, $36 million contract extension with the Browns during the 2023 off-season.
“Will they lock him in as the No. 2 with Ward for the foreseeable future or could the contract look more like the extension they gave [safety] Grant Delpit in 2023 — a slight overpay, yes, but a reasonable commitment to a player who is more of a piece than one of your cornerstones.”
What Are The Drawbacks To Giving Martin Emerson A Contract Extension?
Emerson ranked 194th out of 222 NFL cornerbacks per PFF in 2024, and he finished 187th in pass defense and 158th in run-defense grade — an astonishing mark given the fact he had so many tackles.
“He had his struggles,” Labbe wrote, “and now a player who felt like a surefire long-term piece goes into his fourth season with something to prove.”
There were rumors of the Browns scouring the free agent and trade markets to supplant Emerson, and ESPN called him an X-factor for the Browns defense this season due to his struggles defending the pass in 2024.
“Last season, Emerson was a frequent target for opposing offenses and allowed a passer rating of 100.5 when targeted, which ranked 49th out of 71 cornerbacks with at least 40 targets,” ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi wrote June 14. “A bounce-back campaign could not only help vault the Browns’ defense back to the top of the league but result in a lucrative contract for Emerson.”
Plus, in the next-man-up NFL, Newsome could also be in line for more playing time if Emerson struggles, since the 2021 first-round is also playing for a new contract while playing out his fifth-year option — at $13 million, about four times that of Emerson.
Competition isn’t bad, especially on the Browns who are trying to rise back up in the AFC. So having hungry players on the roster, especially with a mainstay like Ward holding down CB1, is a good problem — as long as the duo plays relatively well.
