Martin Emerson's injury moves Greg Newsome II to outside cornerback

Greg Newsome II doesn't like the circumstances but is thrilled to be back where he believes he belongs.With Martin Emerson Jr. out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Newsome is in line to see most of his time as the outside cornerback opposite Pro Bowler Denzel Ward. With Emerson in the fold the last three seasons, Newsome played a ton in the slot."My goal is not to fill any void," Newsome told reporters Monday in Berea. "As a player, I think I have the ability of any cornerback in the league. So my job is not to fill a void. My job is just to go out there and help my team win."So I'm back to my natural position. I'm super excited to do that and that's what I was put on this Earth to do is play outside corner. So I'm super excited."Newsome missed time during the preseason with a shoulder injury but has been back practicing for a while."It's feeling amazing. It will not be a factor," he said. "They did a great job of just getting me back healthy, is 100 percent."Coach Kevin Stefanski said Newsome worked hard during the rehab and can handle whatever assignment he's given."Greg's a great football player," Stefanski said. "Where he lines up, really, it doesn't matter so much as he's talented and versatile enough to do both. So we'll see where we kind of deploy him as the season goes on, but he's able to do both at a high level."Newsome will get quite the test out of the gate, as the Browns will host the Bengals on Sunday in the opener. Quarterback Joe Burrow's targets on the outside are Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who signed a four-year, $115 million extension in the March."Oh, super, super fun. That's what I live for," Newsome said. "I'm a big competitor, so I'm super excited to go against those guys."In four seasons, Chase has 395 catches for 5,425 yards and 46 touchdowns. In five seasons, Higgins has 330 catches for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns."Obviously Tee Higgins is another elite player. I don't think he gets enough credit," Newsome said. "I feel like he's really what makes that engine go, as well. Obviously, Ja'Marr is the one of the, if not the, best receiver in the National Football League, but without a guy like Tee Higgins, I don't think he would be able to do all that stuff. You can't just necessarily double him and think Tee Higgins won't go for 300 yards as well. So I think Tee Higgins is definitely a very, very elite player."Ward has had many memorable meetings with Chase, but it's unlikely to be an exclusive matchup Sunday. Newsome is prepared to face the four-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 127 catches, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns last season."We'll definitely both get our share against him," Newsome said. "What makes him great is first is just the yards after catch. He's a big, strong, physical, fast player, so that's a guy that you got to find a way to get on the ground."But I'm super excited for that matchup. Just going from rookies to now Year 5, that's a guy that I've loved competing against."Chase was the No. 5 pick in 2021 out of LSU and Newsome followed at No. 26 out of Northwestern. While Chase signed a four-year, $161 million extension in March, Newsome is in the last year of his rookie deal after the Browns picked up the fifth-year option.Because he's been playing with Ward since arriving, he fully understands that opposing quarterbacks will attack Newsome rather than one of the league's best."When you got a guy like Denzel Ward opposite, you're going to probably get majority of the targets," Newsome said. "That's just how the world works. That's something from rookie year that I had to do and I'm definitely ready for the challenge."While he's excited to have full-time residence on the outside, the experience of playing inside has shaped him as a player."That's the benefit of playing nickel and going back and forth and doing that my entire career," Newsome said. "I feel like now I have more understanding of the game. So being outside, I still will be able to see from the nickel's eyes of everything. Being able to see the formation, being able to get run and pass keys."So now going back outside, obviously, the focus will be on my man when I'm in man, and I don't have to really worry about too much stuff inside. But I also will be able to see certain tells from playing inside."Cleveland's secondary has a history of talking trash to the Bengals, specifically Chase. There's still a long time before kickoff, and Newsome eased into the week."We'll definitely have fun out there," he said. "Every time we go against them. Our strengths are their strengths. So it's always a fun game."Without Emerson and with Newsome outside, Cameron Mitchell and/or Myles Harden will play in the slot."We got guys that's ready to step up and prove themselves in this league," Newsome said. "We're definitely super excited for those guys, but losing a guy like MJ that's very, very hard to replace."The post Martin Emerson's injury moves Greg Newsome II to outside cornerback first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.