BREAKING : The Most Intriguing Cleveland Browns Player No One is Talking About

Dec 3, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Riddell speedflex Cleveland Browns helmets on the sidelines at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns are not expected to be anything special next season, which is understandable considering they just went 3-14 last year. However, there are definitely some reasons to be intrigued about the Browns, and it’s not just because of Shedeur Sanders.

Cleveland has a handful of compelling young players that could break out in 2025, and while names like Cedric Tillman and Isaiah McGuire have been discussed at length, there is another Browns breakout candidate no one seems to be mentioning: cornerback Cameron Mitchell.

Right now, Mitchell is behind Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and Martin Emerson Jr. on the depth chart, but with the latter two players both entering the final years of their respective contracts, that probably won’t last for long.

Mitchell played in all 17 games last season, but he was used rather sparingly, participating in only 34 percent of Cleveland’s defensive snaps. During that time, he logged 24 tackles and a couple of passes defended, so he didn’t really achieve anything extraordinary.

However, the Browns aptly refusing to add any cornerback depth this offseason is an indication that they must have high hopes for Mitchell, who they selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The 23-year-old played his collegiate football at Northwestern, where he was actually a teammate of Newsome’s for two years. Mitchell enjoyed a couple of solid campaigns with the Wildcats and was impressive enough for Cleveland to use a rather early Day 3 pick on him two years ago.

Mitchell doesn’t stand out in any one particular area. He has average size for a cornerback, and while he certainly possesses athleticism, he isn’t exactly a speed demon. But he does pretty much everything well, which definitely bodes well for the potential of him becoming a regular contributor.

Will Mitchell ever become a star? Probably not, but there is no question that he will probably see a bump in playing time this coming season, especially if the Browns end up trading one of Newsome or Emerson between now and the midseason deadline.