BEREA — Martin Emerson Jr. may have already faced his toughest matchup of the season … and the Browns will have to face receivers like Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Philadelphia’s AJ Brown and Miami’s Tyreek Hill.
During joint workouts with the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday, Cleveland’s rising third-year cornerback went man-to-man with three-time Pro Bowl receiver Justin Jefferson, who led the NFL in 2022 with 128 catches and 1,809 yards and recently became the highest-paid receiver in NFL history at $35 million per year.
Emerson stood his ground.
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“This is the first time I’ve really gone up against him and seen him up close,” Jefferson said after practice Thursday. “So he’s definitely a great cornerback and we’ve been working on that all practice together, so it’s definitely work on both sides.”
Emerson intercepted passes, forced incomplete passes and intercepted a pass in a one-on-one drill, and Jefferson made good plays, including a couple of early touchdowns on Thursday. Jefferson offered no opinion when asked who won the two-day matchup.
“I’ll let everybody else figure that out on their own,” he said. “But that’s not really the main focus of these joint workouts. It’s just about getting that work done, trying to improve chemistry with Sam (Darnold) and the other quarterbacks and getting those one-on-one battles.”
“We don’t get those one-on-one matchups that often. Our defense doesn’t always play man-to-man. So it helps to get that man-to-man coverage and those one-on-one reps.”
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Emerson spoke to reporters on Monday, hoping he would get a chance to cover Jefferson. With Denzel Ward sitting out both days due to concussion protocol, Emerson’s wish came true.
“I’m going to make sure he responds to me, does my job and does what I do,” he said. “He’s one of the best receivers in the game, I’m looking forward to getting game reps against him and just learning everything I can and then applying those reps to my game.”
Emerson had four interceptions and defended 13 passes last year and was disappointed not to be selected to the Pro Bowl.
“MJ has really grown as a player during his time here,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “You see him progress every week he’s here. Going up against a great, top-notch player in this league and putting up so much opposition can only make him better.”
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Jefferson was asked if he could envision Emerson becoming one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
“Oh, for sure,” he said. “He’s a big, physical cornerback and will definitely cause some problems down the field. So it’s great to be able to play against cornerbacks like him to give me some extra work or improve my style of play a little bit.”
INJURY REPORT
The Browns finished practice without their two best pass catchers.
Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper entered the facility with an athletic trainer toward the end of practice. He appeared to have injured his leg on a catch a few plays earlier, did a few more reps, and then faded away.
“Sore,” Stefanski said when asked for an update.
He made the same report when asked about Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku, who was slow to get up after a catch in a one-on-one drill early in practice. Njoku sat out team drills but stood right behind the action, cheering on his teammates.
** Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II left the field at the end of a play after grabbing the back of his leg and did not return. Stefanski had no update.
** Ward missed his second straight practice due to concussion protocol. Stefanski would not say whether he has a concussion. Ward watched the end of practice.
** Rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. missed practice due to a stab wound he suffered Wednesday. He was charged with domestic violence on Tuesday but practiced Wednesday.
** Defensive ends Za’Darius Smith (knee) and Isaiah McGuire (illness) returned to practice. Smith was injured last week and McGuire missed a day.
** Safety Rodney McLeod (leg) did not practice.
** Running back Pierre Strong Jr. practiced after being shaken by a hit on Wednesday. Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. encountered him in the hole, causing a fumble and bringing Strong down.
“It was a hard hit for Pierre, but it wasn’t an unfair hit,” said left guard Joel Bitonio.
THAT’S BETTER
The offensive line has eliminated many of the defensive issues from Wednesday. Watson was sacked twice in team drills and once in the two-minute drill after being sacked about seven times on 24 dropbacks the day before.
“The guys made a lot of corrections,” said Stefanski, who attributed the cause to communication problems.
The first-team offense is practicing with four returning starters — right tackle Dawand Jones, right guard Wyatt Teller, center Ethan Pocic and left guard Joel Bitonio. The only one missing is left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who is still recovering from knee surgery last season to repair a torn medial ligament.
James Hudson III struggled to replace Wills. Hudson remained with the starters this week, but Germain Ifedi and Hakeem Adeniji came in as substitutes.
“I have a lot of confidence in my offensive line,” quarterback Deshaun Watson said. “Every single one of those guys works hard, they study hard, they try hard. So all of those things can be fixed, and that’s why we go to training camps and practice against different teams.”
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Rookie receiver Jamari Thrash stretched up to catch a pass from Jameis Winston.
** Winston threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He nearly threw another one a few plays earlier, but the pass was dropped.
** Defensive end Myles Garrett had a sack while battling left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
** Running back D’Onta Foreman had a long run up the middle.
** Running back Jerome Ford scored a touchdown on a run to the right.
** The practice was heavily focused on red zone work and ended with a two-minute drill. The Vikings’ second team was the only one to score, but was stopped on the 2-point conversion attempt needed to tie the game.
EXTRA POINTS
According to Stefanski, none of the regular players will play in Saturday’s game against the Vikings at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start at quarterback and Tyler Huntley will finish the game. Winston will not play.
** Former Browns quarterback Josh McCown is the Vikings’ quarterback coach. He met Browns owner Dee Haslam on the field.
** Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah visited several members of the Browns organization. Adofo-Mensah was in Cleveland’s front office before getting the Minnesota job in 2023.
