Browns 2025 training camp position preview

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2 days ago

The Browns are less than a week from not just their first training camp practice, but their first one with fans allowed to watch. The first full-squad workout comes on July 23, and the fans will get their first opportunity to watch on July 24.
Almost all of the position groups those fans will be watch during the eight opening training camp practices have already been previewed. The final defensive position takes center stage now with the safeties.
The Browns were severely lacking in big play production from that position in 2024. With only Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman back with any significant experience in Cleveland, it's very much a different group being asked to fix that in 2025.
Here's a look at those safeties:
Cleveland Browns safeties
Grant Delpit
Christopher Edmonds
Ronnie Hickman
Rayshawn Jenkins
Damontae Kazee
Donovan McMillon*
Nik Needham
(* — denotes rookie)
Into the numbers: Cleveland Browns safeties
Neither Delpit nor Hickman had either an interception or a forced fumble during the 2024 season. Both did recover a fumble.
Delpit had a sack, 111 combined tackles and seven tackles for loss in 2024. Both the combined tackles and tackles for loss were either career highs or tied career highs.
Hickman played in a career-high 14 games in 2024. He started five of those.
Kazee spent the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he recorded five interceptions over that span in Pittsburgh, his best stint was with the Atlanta Falcons, the team that drafted him. He had 10 interceptions in four seasons in Atlanta, including a league-high seven in 2018.
Jenkins had his first career fumble recovery in 2024 with the Seattle Seahawks. He returned it 102 yards for a touchdown. He also has 10 career interceptions since coming into the league in 2017.
Needham's career has been short-circuited a bit by injuries, specifically a 2022 Achilles injury. The versatile defensive back had shown great playmaking ability over the first three years of his career from 2019-21, with three sacks, six interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
What they're saying: Cleveland Browns safeties
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on the need for more playmaking out of the safeties, on June 4: "I think some of being a ball hawk has to do with pass rush, but guys that are wired to the ball that can get an extra jump on the ball, we didn't do enough of that in the past. And that's certainly a position we can improve on. And, you know, we talked about things we can improve off of last year, turnovers and things like that mean a lot. So many of those deep ball things come from ball coming out before the quarterback wants to or being hit before as he's throwing. You know, they, but they both work hand in hand. A guy in the back end, like in this stuff, you're not going to see very many interceptions because quarterbacks aren't being hit when they throw and they're not being forced to throw before they want to. So, you know, it all sort of goes hand in hand.'
Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda on Hickman's big year ahead, on June 12: "Huge. He knows it. It's a big, big point, Year 3 in the system, a great opportunity to take advantage of a situation that he's worked hard to earn. He's done an excellent job in terms of preparing, taking advantage of situations like Year 1 to make the team. Now it's time to go out there and execute to the level that we believe he can and that he knows he can."
Banda on Delpit, on June 12: "I think Grant is really starting to touch the true greatness that he can be. You see it. I know that we had whatever we had in terms of the season, but he had a phenomenal year. I mean, reached the hundred-tackle mark again, played really, really good football at the second level. So he's definitely, he's got himself to a good spot. Now where can I help him grow in other areas? We're focusing more on the third level for him right now so that he can be a true complete safety in all those areas, take advantage of opportunities at the third level and help us create more plays. So definitely saw that."
Banda on Needham's versatility, on June 12: "He's played corner and nickel obviously in his career, but right now we are completely focused on playing safety. So I know there was some maybe questions on what he is, that guy is playing safety for us. I liked his skillset in the sense that he can do both things. That's always good. OG was a past corner. Guys who have corner flex always can transition. The biggest thing is the growth that has to happen from corner to nickel and the things that you have to do at safety does change and he's in that process right now. He's done a good job of working at it, and I hope that that can transition into the season."
Banda on composition of safety position group, on June 12: "I'm basically attacking it and approaching it like no one knows what they're doing, even a guy like Grant or Rocket and building it from the [bottom] up because do have almost like three different rooms. We've got Grant, Chris and Rocket [Hickman], who've been here. Then we got this vet group of Rayshawn, Kazee and Nick, and then we have a rookie. So it's just this really diverse room right now. So for me it's been fun to just remind myself to go back to Day 1 and teach from the ground up, which I think is also going to benefit the guys that have been in the room. But definitely earning my money. Coach Schwartz walked by one time early in the process of the spring and he goes, yeah, it ain't going to be easy like it was last few years. So he reminded me pretty quickly."
Training camp analysis: Cleveland Browns safeties
Delpit's in the second year of a three-year extension he signed late in 2023. He's been at his best when he's been able to play much more in the box. Hickman has gone from undrafted free agent in 2023 to a player who was essentially the part-time starter a year ago at free safety. Kazee and Jenkins both provide more experienced voices in the room to replace Rodney McLeod, who retired after 2024. Needham's an intriguing roll of the dice because of his versatility to play both safety and cornerback and his previously shown playmaking ability. The Browns like to employ three safeties, so it's hard to not see the primary group come from those five.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [e-mail]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns 2025 camp position preview: Who'll be the playmaking safeties?