Emmanuel McNeil-Warren arrived in Cleveland with the kind of buzz that follows a second-round steal, and the Browns have already found a way to tap into his value even before his defensive role fully takes off.
The rookie safety from Toledo has barely shown up on defense through two weeks, but he’s become one of the team’s more useful pieces on special teams. That’s where he’s earning snaps right now, and it’s where he made his presence felt in Week 2.
Against the Buccaneers, McNeil-Warren played 17 special teams snaps and finished with three tackles. Pro Football Focus graded him at 67.8 on special teams, the highest mark on the Browns in that phase of the game. He also logged 10 snaps on defense, but his early impact has come away from the spotlight.
That role isn’t foreign to him. At Toledo, McNeil-Warren began as mostly a depth defender and special teams contributor as a true freshman, then kept helping in that area in the seasons that followed. Even then, he made it clear he was ready for whatever job came his way.
“I’m a playmaker,” McNeil-Warren said after being drafted. “Whenever I see the ball, I’m going to go to that ball. I’ll impact the game anywhere - defense, special teams."
For Cleveland, the timing makes sense. Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman give the Browns stability at safety, which lets the team bring McNeil-Warren along at its own pace while he works into the defense. He’s also part of a special teams group that has already looked more reliable than it did during the Bubba Ventrone era, and his work in that phase is a big reason for the early improvement.
There’s still a path for more on defense. Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg should eventually be able to give McNeil-Warren a longer leash, especially with Myles Harden having some struggles in the slot. The Browns could also use his length and closing speed in different packages, including looks that move Delpit to nickel.
McNeil-Warren is raw, but the traits are obvious. Cleveland added a wave of talent on both sides of the ball this offseason, and for some of those newcomers, the adjustment is simply about catching up to the speed of the pro game. For now, McNeil-Warren is already helping in the phase that often decides hidden yardage - and that’s a pretty good place to start.
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