Frustrated Browns Defender Sends Stern Message to Cleveland

The 2025 NFL campaign has not even started yet, and one Cleveland Browns player is already frustrated.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has revealed that Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II was not happy with his role in 2024 and is hoping to be used much more this coming season, or else.

“When I talked to Greg Newsome at the Super Bowl on Radio Row back in January or early February, he talked about the fact that he wants to be used more. He was primarily the nickel back last year. He wants to be on the field more often,” Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “More tellingly, Newsome actually point blank said, 'You know, I need to know some things before I want to sign a long-term contract here.'"

Newsome is entering the final year of his deal and did not exactly have a strong showing last season, finishing with 27 tackles, an interception and a couple of passes defended while posting a paltry 52.2 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

The 25-year-old saw a rather significant dip in playing time in 2024, playing in a career-low 70 percent of Cleveland's defensive snaps. He also heard his name floated in trade speculation during the first half of the year, but was ultimately retained at the trade deadline.

Once again, though, Newsome is a popular name in trade conjecture, and it stands to reason that the Browns could ultimately move him during the middle of the season if they don't think they are going to re-sign him in free agency.

Remember: both Newsome and Martin Emerson Jr. are slated to hit the open market next March, so Cleveland will have some difficult decisions to make.