White Sulphur Springs – It’s not hard for Browns safety Rodney McLeod to recall how many players were drafted ahead of him considering he went undrafted.
What does surprise him is how many of the higher pedigree players he’s outlasted. A member of the 2012 class, only eight of the 32 players drafted in a first round that included standouts such as Pro Bowlers Andrew Luck, Luke Kuechly, Donta Hightower and Robert Griffin III still remain in the league. None of those four are still in the league.
“I think it’s a credit to the work that I’ve put in early on,” McLeod told Lootpress Thursday. “I think recently – wow, to get that stat and see how many guys are still around, I never would’ve envisioned myself here when I started. It’s a credit to a lot of work people don’t see, work behind the scenes that really allowed me to build my craft. I’m a technician, a disciplined football player and somebody that my teammates can trust and rely on when it matters the most. I credit those things to why I’ve been able to stick around as long as I have. The average in the league is three years so in terms of investment I’ve multiplied it by four.”
Heading into his 12th NFL season, McLeod is leaning on the tenets of reliability and trustworthiness as his newest team hopes to turn its fortunes around. After breaking through and winning a postseason game in 2020, the Browns have stumbled backwards, missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Those failures required change, opening the door for Cleveland to hire defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
The hire also opened the door for McLeod who played under Schwartz in Philadelphia from 2016-2020 where the pair won a Super Bowl together in 2017 when Schwartz served in the same capacity for the Eagles.
In the twilight of his career, the familiarity with Schwartz helped McLeod in his decision to sign with Cleveland this past offseason.
“That helps a lot,” McLeod smiled. “I have a lot of familiarity with Jim and his scheme. It makes it a lot easier on the mind coming in. Obviously I understand and know what I’m going to get and what comes with Jim Schwartz and the defense. With that I’m able to help out a lot of the other guys and be able to get them up to speed a lot quicker which is beneficial with us as a team.”
McLeod’s impact has been a welcome one early.
Signed in May, he’s helped bring a relatively young defensive back group up to speed.
Aside from Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Grant Delpit, the DB room is filled with a relative amount of inexperience. Juan Thornhill and Mike Ford, both signed this offseason, bring at least five years of experience each but projected starters at cornerback such as Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II have three seasons combined under their belts. Cameron Mitchell and AJ Green, also in the mix at corner, bring a combined two years with the former being a rookie.
It’s magnified McLeod’s leadership role.
“It’s amazing,” Newsome, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, said Tuesday. “A guy that’s played — I think he’s in year 13, maybe? Guy like that – I’m a sponge. I’m just getting around him, trying to get a bunch of information and he already knows how the defense is supposed to be run, so it definitely helps us in the back end.”
McLeod knows what it’s like to be in that position.
After finding success with the Rams, he hit free agency in 2016 where he signed with the Eagles, coming into the organization with Schwartz. When Schwartz arrived, he transitioned the Eagles from a three-man front to a four-man front defense meaning there was change for everyone new and old, though there was a player to lean on. Linebacker Nigel Bradham, who played under Schwartz in 2014 when he was the defensive coordinator in Buffalo, was brought into Philadelphia in the same free agency class as McLeod, helping the transition.
Playing that same role seven years later, McLeod picked up a trick or two from Bradham.
“I would say back then Nigel brought a sense of comfort,” McLeod said. “I think that and more of an understanding about the defense as a whole and about Jim. At times, early on you’re trying to learn exactly who your coach is and what he means when he says these sort of things. Having somebody who’s had experience with Jim within that locker room kind of brought calmness and assurance that let us know that Jim’s a great guy and good coach. All the things he does, it’s all for a good cause and a good reason and it’s really a test. He’s seeing how we respond to everything he throws at us. I think we obviously responded well (in Philly) so I’m looking to bring that same sort of support here with the guys who are in the locker room on the defensive side.”
McLeod is happy to be reunited with Schwartz even with what some view as negatives. Schwartz’s fiery personality has been documented and sometimes rubs others the wrong way but it feeds a player like McLeod who’s been with him long enough to know the ins and outs of his personality and that there’s a method to his madness.
“Really it’s the passion and energy he brings every day,” McLeod said. “You know what you’re going to get. He coaches us tough and is going to get the most out of his players. He’s going to love you at the same time but he’s not going to tolerate anything less than the highest standard. For me being a player, I have a great deal of respect for somebody who pushes me to be my best and he does that for us as a group. He challenges us and holds us accountable. When you have that at a leadership position it just trickles down to the rest of your defensive unit and they follow suit.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
