Key vulnerability will be on display against New York Jets

The Cleveland Browns announced that free safety Damarious Randall is in the concussion protocol and will be out for the game against the New York Jets. The depth behind Randall and the overall safety position in general without him looks questionable, so this is becomes an added challenge as they try to get their first win.

With the news of Damarious Randall suffering a concussion and being out when the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Jets, one of the team's biggest vulnerabilities will be on display Monday Night. Depending on who is asked, Randall may be the fourth or fifth best player on the Browns defense to as low as seventh or eighth, but regardless of how good anyone feel he is, he's one of the most difficult players to replace. The Browns just don't have a great group of safeties and this only makes it more tempting a target for opponents.

Eric Murray looks slated to step in and play free safety in Randall's stead, but it's difficult to know if the Browns trust him to cover the deep middle in their Cover-1 and Cover-3 looks or if they'll feel more inclined to leave more help back, play more two-high looks.
Randall is a pretty good tackler in space coming up as well. Murray is by no means a bad football player, but Randall has a critical role in the Browns defense as they put a lot on the plates of their defensive backs in this defensive scheme.

The situation arises against a Jets team that is missing so many pieces, it might not be able to get off the tarmac, but they are going to try to exploit this and there's no guarantee that Randall will be back when the Browns take on the Los Angeles Rams next week. If the Browns can take care of business, the experience without Randall could prove valuable for sake of contingency.

This is a huge disappointment for Randall, who didn't have a great first game and now misses at least one more in a season where he's hoping he can land a lucrative contract as a would be free agent. Last year, Randall played all 16 games, albeit through a decent amount of pain as he dealt with various ailments throughout the season and had a good year.

The Browns need him back as soon as it's reasonable, but for now, they need to find a way to win this game against the Jets and then figure out how to adjust to a team like the Rams or Baltimore Ravens in the event he's out for those games as well.