Martin Emerson Jr. believes ‘a lot to learn’ even after rookie season

On Jan 16, 2023

Jan 8, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) defends a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

BEREA — Martin Emerson Jr. never read where he was selected in last April’s draft as a sign of how important he was viewed in his new team’s plans. Instead, the third-round pick saw himself as the Browns’ first pick in the draft and set his expectations the same.

“I mean, when I got drafted here, I was expected to come in and play,” Emerson told the Beacon Journal in the locker room immediately after a season-ending loss at Pittsburgh. “I’m a competitor and I want to give an impact right away. I feel like I can say I did that my rookie year.”

Emerson was, almost by necessity, forced into a key role in the Browns secondary. He started the season as the third cornerback, which put him on the field for 42 snaps in his NFL debut in the opener at the Carolina Panthers.

It wouldn’t take long, though, for Emerson’s role to get much bigger. Denzel Ward’s concussion in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers forced him into the starting lineup for the next three games.

No sooner had Ward returned from his concussion in Week 10 at Miami before the other starting corner, Greg Newsome II, had to sit out two games with his own head injury. Those five games pushed Emerson’s snap-count percentages into the mid-to-upper 90s, including playing every snap in a Week 12 overtime win over Tampa Bay.

It spoke to just how quickly Emerson gained the trust of not just the Browns coaching staff, but also his teammates.

“Like I have said, our corners and our three-deep can all start on any team,” Newsome said in early December. “He has been playing amazing the whole entire season. That is something we expected. Obviously, I was excited for him but, like I said earlier, I expect him to do stuff like that. I am proud of him. He is having an unbelievable season.”

Emerson did not record an interception on the 500 snaps he had in coverage as a rookie. However, per Pro Football Focus, he was targeted 89 times for the season, with only 48 of those — 53.9% — being completed.

There were a number of times when it seemed like teams were targeting him specifically in key moment, yet Emerson was able to hold his own often. In that Week 5 game against the Chargers, Los Angeles went at him on a critical late fourth-and-short play, but he was able to break up a pass to Mike Williams to give the Browns a shot at a potential win.

Against Tampa Bay, Emerson found himself targeted by quarterback Tom Brady 10 times. However, only two of those passes were completed.

Emerson finished the season with 15 passes defensed, tied with Ward for a team high. He also had 51 solo tackles, third on the team.

Although it was a lot of positives for a rookie, Emerson wasn’t about to declare it an unquestioned success. Asked where he felt he needed to improve to make himself better in his second season, he was blunt in his response.

“Man, it’s a lot,” Emerson said. “I feel like I made some big steps forward but, I mean, who am I to say that? I got a lot of work to do and it’s a lot to learn still, but I’m blessed some of these games under my belt and I feel more comfortable out there.”

Emerson’s own growth as the season went along coincided with the way the Browns defense, at least against the pass, grew. Breakdowns in coverage was a major factor in a Week 2 loss to the New York Jets, and also played a role in losses to Buffalo and at Cincinnati in the second half of the season.

Even in the finale against the Steelers, the Browns were beat in a critical coverage bust on a game-tying touchdown pass to George Pickens. That score allowed Pittsburgh to grab momentum late in the first half, which opened the door for the eventual 28-14 Steelers win.

That left the Browns, despite improvements on the defense in the latter stages of the season, sitting on the outside of the playoffs with another losing record at 7-10.

“I would say the season is long,” Emerson said. “But, I mean, obviously our season was cut short, but it’s still football playing, so of course you wanna always wanna be a part of that. We’ll just make sure next year, come in, start faster.”

The question is, how does that happen for the Browns? The first step, they believe, came hours after that loss in Pittsburgh, when defensive coordinator Joe Woods was fired.