Delpit's Injury Exposes a Safety Room Built for One

A few days ago I noted that Delpit was questionable and that the depth behind him was thin. That situation has now moved past questionable. With Delpit's injury keeping him out, Cleveland is essentially running Daniel Thomas as the primary safety — a player who handled roughly a fifth of the snaps at that position last season. That is the drop-off. One starter, then a significant fall to anyone else.

The depth chart lists Tedric Thompson third at the position, but neither Thomas nor Thompson has shown the kind of production that would make a coaching staff comfortable leaning on them for a full game, let alone a stretch of games. Andrew Berry spent $48 million this offseason to lock Delpit in place precisely because the alternative was this — a room that cannot absorb a miss at the top.

The broader secondary picture is not as dire. Denzel Ward is healthy and the cornerback side has held up reasonably well. But safety is its own animal, and Cleveland's version of that position right now is one real player deep. If Delpit misses time, the Browns are asking Thomas to carry a starter's load with a backup's résumé. That is a problem this week, and it will remain one until Delpit is back on the field.