Ronnie Harrison Poised for Breakout Season?

The Cleveland Browns have made substantial improvements to their roster, but a low risk trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 could be as consequential as any of the moves made ahead of 2021.

So much of the focus for the Cleveland Browns defense is on players they acquired ahead of the 2021 season and how much that will improve that side of the ball, but one player that could be poised for a breakout season was acquired in a trade right as the 2020 season was set to begin. Ronnie Harrison could be as poised to take as much as a jump as any player on defense, which could propel him into a breakout season.

Perhaps in response to the injury to second round rookie Grant Delpit suffered at the end of August, the Browns made a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, sending a fifth round pick in exchange for Harrison.

A third round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Harrison was reasonably solid for the Jaguars, but they had safeties they liked, including Andrew Wingard and Jarrod Wilson. That trade was made by then general manager David Caldwell.

Trent Baalke, Caldwell's replacement along with head coach Urban Meyer, made the decision to sign Rayshawn Jenkins to a lucrative contract would at least suggest they probably wish they still had Harrison. Jenkins is basically the same size as Harrison, but he's older and now far more expensive. 

The deal ended up being a huge boon for the Browns in 2020. The Browns needed depth, a body could that take up reps. Harrison provided a young body, still on his rookie deal, but he far surpassed reasonable expectations.

Even on a defense with only a handful of truly good players with a real future on the Browns, Harrison made a noticeable difference and effectively forced his way onto the field. In largely spot duty as he was learning the Browns defensive scheme, he intercepted a Phillip Rivers pass against the Indianapolis Colts that went for a touchdown.

The more he got onto the field, the clearer it became just how much he could do for the Browns, which included filling a role they initially hoped Karl Joseph could play.

When Joseph was signed, having played his entire career as a deep safety, the hope was he could stabilize that position and provide someone that could be decent in coverage while being able to come up and make tackles. Joseph did not have a good season in that capacity, but did become a nice player in the box, playing a quasi-linebacker role. In a few games, he was the best second level player on the defense.

Harrison was more adept at being versatile for the Browns in 2020 and was more effective playing in space. He still made a bigger impact at the second level, but he proved to be the better player.

Unfortunately for the Browns, injuries prevented the two from playing together all that much including a significant shoulder injury that kept out Harrison out for the month of December.

Harrison is not particularly fast. In fact, with the way the team has revamped their defense, he might be the slowest player in the secondary. Where Harrison helps to make up for his lack of speed is with his length.

Harrison stands 6'2" and then offers an 80 3/8" wingspan. He's got vines at 33 3/8" so it can be difficult to get around him as a ball carrier or a receiver. That's part of what has allowed him to contribute against tight ends in coverage. At around 210 pounds, Harrison along with a healthy Delpit would account for one of the biggest safety duos in the NFL.

They may not be as big as linebackers, but big enough to look the part and fill certain roles, which seems to be a good fit with Joe Woods and what he wants to do. That is basically the same size as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the Browns second round pick this year. They want him to gain some size, but that is how thin the line is between the two positions.

Perhaps Woods was able to use his ample background coaching defensive backs to help put Harrison into position to succeed in a way that the Jaguars hadn't. After all, despite joining the season as it had already started, Harrison had his best season on a game to game basis over the course of the year.

Harrison's impact was noticeable for the Browns, especially when a shoulder injury forced him to miss the month of December. The Browns defense was ravaged by a combination of injuries and COVID-19, so when Harrison wasn't available, he was missed.

Heading into the 2021 season, everything is trending in a great direction for Harrison. He gets to spend the entire offseason as a member of the Browns, so he's going to be more confident knowing what he's being asked to do. Meanwhile, the defense and particularly the secondary has improved dramatically around him, which may allow him to become a star in Cleveland.

The Browns have been unwilling to give any sense of where they're safeties  will be playing this year. However, Harrison would appear to be the favorite to starting at strong safety. At free safety, the Browns have John Johnson III, their biggest free agent acquisition this year and one of the best safeties in the league. In the slot, the Browns have Troy Hill. Delpit is coming off the Achilles' injury, who will be competing for a spot but will see time as a third safety at worst. And the team will have Greedy Williams and first round pick Greg Newsome on the boundary along with Denzel Ward.

That's without considering any potential improvements on the defensive line and linebacker, both of which at least have the capability to play better in 2021.

If the Browns do nothing but play the same defense they did last year, Harrison might be better by virtue of the players around him being better in addition to any improvements he might make.

After all, Harrison is entering the fourth season of his NFL career, but he only turned 24 in April. He's younger than a handful of players that were selected in the 2021 NFL draft, including D'Wayne Eskridge, who was selected 56th overall in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks.

Much like David Njoku, who will turn 25 in July, Harrison may well still be growing as    a player. And just like Njoku, Harrison is entering a contract year so he's got every incentive to have his best year in the NFL.

All of these factors could combine to see Harrison play at an outstanding level of football. According to Pro Football Focus, Harrison was the ninth best safety in the NFL last year, but as a result of the shoulder injury and the games he did not play much right after the trade, he only played in 40 percent of the snaps that most of the others on the list play.

Third on the list is John Johnson.

If Harrison can maintain the level he played in 2020 over the course of a full season, the Browns might end up with the best safety pairing in the NFL. Should Harrison exceed that, it's gravy.

Everything would suggest Harrison will cover tight ends and offer support against the run at the second level, all things he's already done, but with a vastly improved cast in the secondary, it creates more situations where Harrison can operate as a robber, blitz or drop back into coverage. Not quite an extra defender, but Woods could make it look that way to in attempts to confuse the offense.

In 2020, Woods was forced to utilize significant amount of quarters coverage because their personnel was limited. They were just trying to keep the opponent in front of them and force them to settle for field goals rather than touchdowns.

This year, the Browns have the personnel necessary to be far more aggressive, More freedom in terms of coverage options and additional avenues to create pressure. The Browns aren't just simply trying to stop the opponent, they are aiming to make plays and cause turnovers.

Harrison has the opportunity to make himself incredibly valuable to the Browns if he hasn't already. It's possible the Browns have already decided they would like to extend Harrison before he has a chance to play through the season and test free agency. The only other young defensive player up for a potential extension on the defensive side of the ball is Denzel Ward.

John Johnson's contract is surprisingly team friendly, so it doesn't preclude the Browns from signing Harrison, especially if it could be a reasonable contract that ensures Harrison stays around for a few years while giving him security he's seeking.

If the Browns like Harrison, they may be connecting all the same dots and see his potential stardom coming this year, wanting to ensure they lock him up to be a part of this secondary for the foreseeable future. Something to the tune of three years and a total of around $22 million might get it done.

Understandably, with the infusion of talent the Browns have had in a remarkable offseason, it's natural to focus the new acquisitions, but one of the places the Browns could see the most improvement is from Ronnie Harrison.

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