Browns Lose Critical Defensive Starter to Season-Ending Injury

The Cleveland Browns were probably going to be bad this season even if they had good injury luck, and things are growing bleaker as the injuries pile up.

Most recently, the Browns officially lost starting outside cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. for the year to a torn Achilles tendon. The fourth-year defensive back suffered the injury in practice on Tuesday, July 29. League sources confirmed the next day that his campaign is finished.

“Emerson suffered a torn Achilles in Tuesday’s practice, an MRI confirmed, per coach Kevin Stefanski. Emerson will undergo surgery and miss the 2025 season. The Browns officially placed him on injured reserve,” NFL.com reported. “Emerson has started 33 of 50 games played for Cleveland since being taken in the third round of the 2022 draft. The CB started 15 games in 2024, logging 80 tackles and five passes defensed.”

Martin Emerson Jr. Was Key Piece to Browns Defense in 2025

Emerson had a down year in 2024 after defending 14 passes and tallying four interceptions the season prior. He also logged 15 pass break ups as a third-round rookie out of Mississippi State.

“In 2023, Emerson looked like an up-and-coming star cornerback in the league. Emerson allowed the lowest passer rating among corners with at least 40 targets (43.8),” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote Saturday, June 14. “But last season, Emerson was a frequent target for opposing offenses and allowed a passer rating of 100.5 when targeted, which ranked 49th out of 71 cornerbacks with at least 40 targets. It’s a critical season for Emerson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. A bounce-back campaign could not only help vault the Browns’ defense back to the top of the league but result in a lucrative contract for Emerson.”

His absence from the starting lineup is significant in several ways. First, it hinders the Browns’ chances of getting out of the cellar in the AFC North and the NFL as a whole after a three-win campaign. The only way Cleveland was likely to put together a meaningful jump in the win column this year was by way of the defense.

Emerson’s injury also changes the makeup of the secondary, as Greg Newsome II may now move back outside. Newsome, a former first-round pick isn’t a bad player, but Emerson usurped his role on the edge for a reason. And once Newsome moves to the edge, a less qualified nickel cornerback will have to take his place in the slot.

Browns Also Down LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for Entire Season

Emerson’s departure from the lineup comes just weeks after the Browns announced that former Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss all of 2025 with a neck injury he suffered last season.

Owusu-Koramoah spoke to the issue publicly, acknowledging an uncertainty about whether he will ever play professional football again. The Browns drafted linebacker Carson Schwesinger out of UCLA with the first overall pick in the second round of this year’s draft and will likely need/expect him to start in Week 1 of his rookie campaign.

Emerson’s Achilles tear, arguably the worst injury any athlete playing any sport can suffer, is also obviously bad news for the soon-to-be 25-year-old. It will no doubt impede on his pursuit of a new contract and a number he finds reasonable and will likely delay his first big NFL payday a full season, if not longer.