BEREA, Ohio — Less than 24 hours after the Browns traded Greg Newsome II to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the emotions were still raw for his now-former teammate, Denzel Ward.
“Wishing him the best there,” the Pro Bowler said ahead of the team’s Thursday practice. “I know he’s gonna ball out, do great for those guys. But yeah, I was hurt by it, for sure.”
On Wednesday night, Newsome, the Browns’ first-round pick in 2021 out of Northwestern, was traded to the Jaguars along with a sixth-round pick (from the Jets) in exchange for cornerback Tyson Campbell and a seventh-round pick (from the Eagles).
Campbell, 25, was a second-round pick of the Jaguars out of Georgia in 2021.
The move for Cleveland appears to be largely a financial one. Campbell is under contract through 2028, while Newsome is in the final year of his rookie deal, playing on his fifth-year option worth $13.377 million.
The Jaguars will pay the remainder of Newsome’s salary this season, while the Browns will only owe Campbell his modest base salaries and bonuses for the next 3 1/2 years. The Jaguars have already paid him a large portion of his 2024 extension.
As far as the 4-1 Jaguars wanting Newsome, he seems to be a better scheme fit in Jacksonville with the amount of zone their defense plays under first-year coordinator Anthony Campanile.
While Newsome was playing well, the Browns believe Campbell can fit well in Jim Schwartz’s attack defense given the scheme he ran in the early years of his career in Jacksonville.
When healthy though, Newsome and Ward were a formidable duo on the outside. After the Bengals bested the Browns 17-16 in Week 1, Cincy QB Joe Burrow even said, “the corners are two of the best in the league. I don’t think any other team has a better tandem than they do.”
This was their fifth season together.
Newsome transitioned to playing primarily outside opposite of Ward this season, after spending the last three seasons spending time in both the slot and outside. The change came after Martin Emerson Jr. ruptured his Achilles during training camp.
“It’s tough,” Ward said. “I shed some tears for Greg, man. I shed some tears for Greg. Like I said, that’s my brother, and it was just tough seeing him going to a different team.”
Despite the Browns’ 1-4 record, Newsome was playing some of the best football of his career in this contract season, with 23 tackles and three passes defensed.
“Greg’s been a good, quality player for us,” Schwartz said. “He’s covered well on the outside part of the field. I thought he improved his tackling and his physical play. Like I said, he always brought a lot of energy, and his relentless positive attitude was a big thing for us and we certainly wish him the best. I’ll always be a fan of Greg Newsome, so we wish him the best in Jacksonville, ”
He was also a key glue guy in the locker room as one of the most vocal and positive leaders on the team, no matter the circumstances.
He kept that positive attitude until the very end of his tenure in Cleveland, Ward said, even though he’d hoped to be extended here. The two had a chance to talk after the trade was announced.
“That’s Greg,” Ward said. “He’s always in good spirits, like you said, regardless of how the game’s going or what’s going on in life, he’s a guy that’s always going to be smiling and picking the room up.”
Off the field, Newsome was also a tireless worker in the community. He was the Browns’ first-ever ambassador for girls high school flag football, and was instrumental in the sport becoming sanctioned in Ohio this year.
As far as who can replace him in that locker room role, it’s not a one-for-one comp, Ward said.
“Everybody’s their own individual person,” Ward said. “You can’t be who you’re not or be somebody else. So Greg is definitely going to be missed, but I’m just going to continue to be myself and be the leader that I am and do what I do.”
And as far as who will replace him in the lineup, the most likely answer is Campbell. Schwartz said they’ve gotten players ready late in a week before, and Campbell was at practice on Thursday during the early portion open to the media.
Another option is Dom Jones, who was signed to the active roster on Wednesday after Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Jones was a game-day elevation for the Browns in each of the last three games, and played 10 defensive snaps combined against the Packers and Lions.
“Man, like, he kind of made everybody feel welcome when I first came in,” Jones said of Newsome. “He was that energy spark. You come in tired and days start stacking, you don’t want to be here, but you got dudes like Greg that’ll kind of just put a smile on your face, kind of make your day a little easier. But regardless of what happens, we got to pick up the pieces and we got to keep moving.”
While Ward is upset by the trade, he also knows that’s just part of the business.
And he still believes winning is still paramount, even after trading Newsome and Flacco this week.
“Winning is definitely still at the forefront for this organization, this team,” Ward said. “I know for me, definitely, every time I go out there the goal is to win. So it’s definitely still the goal.”
Even as the roster shifts around him, Ward insists the Browns’ goals haven’t changed — only the faces chasing them.
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