It was a tough day on Tuesday for the Cleveland Browns when cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon, ending his 2025 season before it even really started.

Expectations were high for Emerson after a down 2024 season and the fourth-year defensive back entering his final season under contract with the Browns. Now his football future could be in doubt after such a devastating injury.

The Browns now have to move forward without Emerson, and the cornerback room suffered a big hit and leaving many questioning what the room will look like for the 2025 season.

Here is how the projected depth chart looks like in the wake of Emerson’s injury

  • Starters: Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II
  • Nickel: Cameron Mitchell
  • Depth: Nik Needham, Myles Harden, Tony Brown, Chigozie Anusiem, Dom Jones, Anthony Kendall, LaMareon James

Newsome will likely transition back to the outside, a role he played in his rookie season before the Browns drafted Emerson and slid Newsome into the nickel back role. That position is likely going to Mitchell, although it’s likely the Browns will leave that up to competition with Needham and Harden vying for that role as well.

Currently, the position group should be projected with Ward, Newsome, Mitchell, and Harden as locks. Needham was a free agent signing during the offseason and has NFL experience, having spent six seasons and appearing in 63 games for the Miami Dolphins. Cleveland didn’t guarantee any of his $1.1 million salary for 2025, so he’s not considered a lock at this point, nor is the rest of the room, although Tony Brown spent part of last season with the team and contributes on special teams, so he has the advantage currently over Needham and the rest of the group.

The Browns could explore free agent options that have a ton of veteran options, such as James Bradberry, Stephon Gilmore, and Kendall Fuller.

There’s only one name to watch here that could make sense for the current state of the Browns.

First, there’s former Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. The fifth-year cornerback suffered a shoulder injury just four weeks into the 2024 season and remains unsigned with no rumors of interest around the league. Cleveland should at least consider bringing him in for a visit and a workout to see where he’s at physically with the shoulder.