Browns ‘Underrated’ $5.5 Million Star Projected for Monster Year

The Cleveland Browns had the best defense in the NFL last season, and one of the main reasons for that doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.

On Wednesday, May 8, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report named cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. as one of the league’s top “underrated” players who will have a significant impact in 2024.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick for the Browns in 2022 and played 863 snaps last season, accounting for 87 percent of the team’s total. He excelled at coverage in his second professional season.

According to Pro Football Reference, Emerson allowed only 37 of 79 targets to be completed. His passer rating against was minuscule, at 46.3. To be honest, Emerson’s failure to make his first Pro Bowl appearance last year was an almost laughable snub. If he can repeat last year’s performance, the accolades should follow in 2024.

And, with [Denzel] Ward and Greg Newsome II, the Browns will have, arguably, the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL — and one of the league’s best pass defenses once again.

Martin Emerson Jr. took the Browns’ starting outside cornerback job from Greg Newsome II.

Emerson exploded onto the NFL scene as a rookie, recording 15 pass deflections in 17 games, including just six starts. According to Pro Football Reference, he followed up on that performance with 14 pass breakups and 4 interceptions in 16 appearances, doubling his starts to 12 in 2023.

Emerson replaced Newsome, a former first-round pick, as the team’s second starting outside cornerback alongside Ward. Newsome started 13 games last season, primarily as a slot cornerback.

Newsome fared well during the transition. On the contrary, he had a career year with 14 pass deflections, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a defensive touchdown.

The Browns, in turn, exercised the fifth-year option on Newsome’s rookie contract, keeping him under contract until 2025 and paying him $13.4 million for that season. Emerson, meanwhile, is in his third season of a four-year rookie contract worth a total of $5.5 million.

Martin Emerson Jr.’s rookie deal with the Browns represents one of the best cornerback values in the NFL.

Cleveland does not have a fifth-year option on Emerson’s contract that can be exercised next offseason because he was drafted in the third round. As a result, Emerson will become unrestricted free agent in March 2026, unless the Browns use the franchise tag to keep him for that season.

Doing so will cost Cleveland the average annual salary of the five highest-paid cornerbacks. Emerson must continue to play exceptionally well to justify such a significant investment, even on a one-year contract. Until then, he remains one of the league’s best secondary values due to his production-to-cost ratio.

The Browns can also keep Emerson on the roster by offering him an extension after next season, or before free agency begins in spring 2026. That may be easier said than done, as Cleveland has effectively mortgaged its future in order to open a Super Bowl window in the coming years.

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