Injuries a ‘blessing in disguise’ for newest Browns CB

Myles Harden missed parts of two season in college due to injuries, but he never stopped learning the game according to his position coach.

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry is a firm believer in the idea that a team can never have enough good cornerbacks.

He reaffirmed that philosophy before the 2024 NFL Draft in the face of persistent rumors that the team was preparing to trade cornerback Greg Newsome II. Those rumors, unsurprisingly, went by the wayside earlier this week when the Berry made the predictable (to most) decision to pick up Newsome’s fifth-year option, keeping Cleveland’s core fore of Newsome, Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., and Cameron Mitchell together for another season.

Related: Get to know new Browns CB Myles Harden

Berry held to his belief during the draft with the selection of cornerback Myles Harden in the seventh round. Harden was a productive player in college who showed that he could handle coverage duties both outside and in the slot.

One of the question marks about Harden is his durability as a broken leg limited him to just six games in 2021 and then a foot injury sidelined him for five games. Those missed games, along with the level of competition that Harden faced, were all part of the equation that resulted in Harden being available in the seventh round.

But that time away from the field may have helped in Harden’s development, as South Dakota defensive backs coach Miles Taylor told The Akron Beacon Journal:

“He had those injuries and I think those were kind of a blessing in disguise to be quite honest because he was able to sit back and watch and understand our defense and understand multiple positions within the defense and what the linebackers were doing, what the safeties were doing, what the corner, what the nickel was doing, which allowed him to play fast.

“… I think just the understanding of the defense from a holistic perspective and the knowledge of being able to sit back and see the big picture is something that he really grew in throughout his time at South Dakota.”

Now that he is with the Browns, Taylor should continue to benefit from that desire to continuously learn from his fellow defensive backs, according to Taylor:

“Myles is a guy that loves to get better. He loves to compete. He wants to be the best player he possibly can be, and anybody that’s around him that has done a great job and job at the highest level, he’s going to try to pick their brain every day anytime they go out to practice because he eventually wants to be one of those guys.

“So he’s going to do everything in his power to pick their brain and learn from those guys and try to emulate what those guys were doing at the highest level.”

The Browns received mostly middle grades for this year’s draft class, but Harden has been recognized by the national media as a potential standout.

He may be facing a tough battle to make the roster given the crowded cornerback room, but his desire to learn as much as he can might help Harden find his role in Cleveland come the fall.