Brodney Pool To Step Up As a Leader in the Cleveland Browns' Secondary

In the offseason so far, the Browns' secondary has changed quite a bit. Many players have left and many new faces are here.

Their biggest loss was underrated strong safety Sean Jones. Another key loss was cornerback Daven Holly, despite him not playing at all last season.

Other players that left are cornerbacks Travis Daniels and Terry Cousin. The players that were retained were safeties Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, and Nick Soreson, and cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald.

Heading into the offseason, new head coach Eric Mangini and general manager George Kokinis knew that the secondary was a little thin. They added veteran free agents Hank Poteat and Corey Ivy, both of which are cornerbacks.

From there, in their headline draft day trade, the Browns acquired safety Abram Elam from the New York Jets. Elam, a three year veteran, has never been a starter of a full season but comes to Cleveland with that role in mind.

On the second day of the draft, the Browns added rookies Don Carey and Coye Francies, both of which were sixth round picks. Francies was drafted 191st overall by the pick the Browns got in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With a secondary mixed with young players and new faces, somebody has to step up and be the leader. If anybody is going to do so, it has to be Brodney Pool. He fits the profile.

Pool, despite being only 24 years of age, is entering his fifth year in the NFL. He will be 25 when the season starts. He has spent his entire career on the Cleveland Browns.

There are players older than him, and players that have more experience than him, but not one deepback has been on the team longer than he has. With his tenure and experience, it is time for Pool to step up his game.

Pool has been the Browns starter at free safety the past two and a half seasons, missing only one game in that span. With every year, his numbers have improved.

Pool had eight starts in 2006, with 67 tackles and one interception. In 2007, his amount of tackles dropped to 58 but he had two interceptions. In the 2008, he recorded 65 tackles with three interceptions.

His numbers aren't jaw dropping but are good. He is consistently getting smarter and better. He could thrive in Mangini's strict attitude as well. Look for Pool to have a breakout season for the Browns in the upcoming season.

With the addition of Elam, Pool may move to strong safety but that is unsure until camp starts.

Predicted Secondary:

CB1- Eric Wright, Hank Poteat, Don Carey
CB2- Brandon McDonald, Corey Ivy, Coye Francies
FS- Brodney Pool, Nick Soreson
SS- Abram Elam, Mike Adams