The Browns are less than two weeks away from players reporting back to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for the beginning of training camp. To prepare for training camp, associate editor Kelsey Russo is putting together a preview for each position on the roster. Catch up on the other position previews on the quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, the offensive line, the defensive line and linebackers. Next up, let's look at the cornerbacks.

The Cornerbacks:

Tre Avery
Myles Bryant
Tyson Campbell
Michael Coats Jr.
Nate Evans
Myles Harden
Tyron Herring
Dom Jones
D'Angelo Ross
Denzel Ward

What We Know: Cleveland's group of cornerbacks saw one major change during the offseason with the departure of Martin Emerson Jr. in free agency. But the Browns filled out the room as they signed Bryant and Herring, and re-signed Avery and Ross – two players who both bounced between the practice squad and the active roster during the 2025 season, and each played in a handful of games.

The unit is anchored by a six-year veteran in Campbell and a nine-year veteran in Ward, who has established himself as one of the best corners in the league.

In his first season in Cleveland after being traded to the Browns ahead of Week 6, Campbell quickly established a vital role for himself in the defense. He started all 12 games played, recording 52 tackles, one interception returned for a touchdown, 12 passes defensed and one forced fumble. Campell also finished the season tied for third in the NFL in 2025 with 18 passes defensed.

Last season, Ward recorded 39 tackles, one interception and nine passes defensed. The five-time Pro Bowler has 104 career passes defensed, the most by any player in the NFL since 2018, and is one of five active players with at least 100 career passes defensed.

"When you look at like the things that they do, like Denzel, he imparts that leadership, that quiet focus on our room. He imparts the importance of fundamentals and techniques and then playing fast," defensive backs coach and pass game specialist Brandon Lynch said. "When you look at Tyson, man, hard edge, right? He's a guy that is a physically violent player and has great professionalism. So, when you have that type of combination in the room, it really helps the role players and the young players move ahead."

The Browns also have a number of depth pieces to fill in behind Campbell and Ward with Avery and Ross returning, as well as other young players in Harden and Jones that have experience with the Browns.

The Biggest Question: How does the depth chart behind Campbell and Ward shake out?

Lynch explained they are looking for role players that have a physical edge, are dependable, can execute and play winning football.

Last season, players like Harden, Jones and Ross filled in as backups behind both Campbell and Ward. This year, the Browns will use training camp to sort through who will be their role players, which Bryant, Herring, Coats, Avery, Harden and Ross will be in the conversation to fill one of those spots.

Bryant, who signed with the Browns in April, brings veteran experience to the room as he enters his seventh NFL season. He has played in 77 career games, including 11 games with three starts in 2025 with the Texans.

Coats, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, stood out during the Browns offseason program. Lynch highlighted how Coats brings versatility to their room as a rookie.

"He's an extremely bright young guy," Lynch said. "It's important to him, and I'm gonna tell you, like he really plays with an edge. He's a player that can really play at all three levels, and then he's also like a young guy from the aspect that football is relatively new for him. So, he's a guy that has a relatively average floor, but his ceiling is tremendous. He's a good teammate, he's fast, he's aggressive. So, when you see those types of traits on tape, you want to make sure that you get that on your team. "

The X-Factor: Campbell. While Campbell came to the Browns and quickly established his role after being traded to Cleveland, a full offseason in the Browns' system can be beneficial for Campbell – not only on the field, but also as a leader in the room. His next step in their defensive system can help the secondary also take another leap forward in their success as a unit.

"It is so much of a blessing to have him here the whole offseason," Lynch said. "The things that really stand out about T is his leadership. His leadership, his effort, his professionalism. He's a vocal leader. I know that when he got here at the beginning, it's kind of like he's feeling his way around he's really like communicating with the other guys, but now he's cemented a role. We talk about like leadership being production. He's a guy that not just produces on the field, but he produces off the field for our team, so it's important to have him here."

Says It All: "He's a pro. It's important to him, not just playing winning football, but playing winning football in Cleveland is important to him. And he's somebody that we look to for leadership. So, a lot of it, we talk about like our three betters and our three best, like what are things that we can do that can affect winning football. So, our conversations initially started with that like what are the things that we do exceptionally well, what are the things that we can improve and then what are things that we like one thing that we can do to affect winning football. And then just as far as like our system it's always style over scheme, so he's definitely a heart mind fist guy, right? But then when we get into the scheme, it's more just making him familiar with situational ball. " – Lynch on Ward

How many were kept on the initial 53-man roster in 2025: 5