Who Should I Start? MJ Emerson or Ahmad Gardner

Wednesday, July 30, 11:19 AM

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Wednesday that cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (Achilles) will require surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles and will miss the 2025 season, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. It's a rough blow for the fourth-year corner, who will be a free agent at season's end. Emerson Jr. had only missed one game across his first three NFL seasons, racking up 62 solo tackles, four interceptions, and 34 passes defensed. He had been projected to be Cleveland's starting nickel corner heading into 2025. Without Emerson Jr., the Browns will likely turn to veterans Tony Brown II and Nik Needham to fill the hole in their secondary.

Monday, July 28, 6:31 PM

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner only covered an opponent's top receiver a handful of times each season in the team' previous zone-based defensive scheme, although he's quietly yearned for more of those chances. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Gardner said he could get many more chances to cover a WR1 in the new defensive scheme, which is expected to rely heavily on man-to-man coverage. In addition to trying to lock down another star wideout more, Gardner might get more blitzing opportunities under new defensive-minded head coach Aaron Glenn. Opposing QBs don't often target Gardner's side of the field, but that could change if he's guarding more top wideouts, which in turn could lead to more pass-breakup and interception opportunities for the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Tackling hasn't really been his forte, but Gardner's coverage skills are elite.