Cleveland Browns offer disappointing update on veteran CB
GM Andrew Berry reveals that CB Martin Emerson Jr. may need to look elsewhere to continue his NFL career.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 29: Martin Emerson Jr. #23 of the Cleveland Browns returns an interception during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Huntington Bank Field on December 29, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The play was nullified after a defensive penalty.
(Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images Roster churn is a way of life in the NFL. Unless you are a generational talent like Myles Garrett or Joe Thomas, every year players have to wonder if this is the season that age catches up with them, or if the general manager will decide to bring in a player to take your roster spot. Even knowing that, it can still be hard to see a player who has been on the field for several years being replaced by someone else.
And it is even harder when it occurs because of an injury. Such is the case with cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. , who had been a regular in the secondary from the moment the Cleveland Browns selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The beginning of the end for Emerson came during training camp last summer when he suffered an Achilles tendon injury during practice. The injury sidelined Emerson for the entire 2025 season, which was bad enough, but Emerson was hit with the double impact of losing out on the final year of his rookie contract. A good season from Cleveland’s third cornerback would have set Emerson up to enter free agency on a high note, having earned a second contract, either from the Browns or another NFL team.