*
Over the next week, ClevelandBrowns.com will analyze each position group on the roster with a quick look back at 2016 and an eye toward 2017 and beyond.*
Raw Data
Jamar Taylor — 57 tackles, 13 pass breakups, 3 interceptions
Joe Haden — 48 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 3 interceptions
Briean Boddy-Calhoun — 43 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 3 interceptions
Ibraheim Campbell — 48 tackles,
Derrick Kindred — 46 tackles, 4 pass breakups
Ed Reynolds II — 43 tackles, 1 pass breakups
Jordan Poyer — 39 tackles, 2 pass breakups
Tramon Williams Sr. — 36 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 1 interception
Tracy Howard — 20 tackles, 1 pass breakup
Marcus Burley — 8 tackles, 1 pass breakup
Darius Hillary — N/A
Trey Caldwell — N/A
Justin Currie —N/A
Trae Elston — N/A
Rankings
Passing yards allowed — 3,996 (21st)
Passing yards per game allowed — 249.8 (21st)
Passing yards per play — 7.7 (27th)
Passing touchdowns — 36 (32nd)
Completion percentage — 64 (21st)
Interceptions — 10 (23rd)
Contract talk
The following players are restricted or unrestricted free agents heading into 2017:
Jordan Poyer
Quote to note
"When you get coaches that believe in you – I said this plenty of times – it can change a player tremendously. I know a lot of guys around the league, it doesn't work out for them with the first team — I'm not the first guy – and they go somewhere else and they ball and make Pro Bowls and things like that. You're like, 'Where did this guy come from?' It's the same guy that he was in college or wherever he was before. It's just he has some coaches that put him in good situations that let him just do his thing." — CB Jamar Taylor on his breakout season
High point
Week 12 against the Steelers. Cleveland held quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to 167 yards and zero touchdowns on 23-of-36 attempts. The Browns also kept All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown in check, limiting him to eight catches for 76 yards.
Low point
Week 5 against the Patriots. Tom Brady carved up Cleveland's secondary, completing 28-of-40 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns with relative ease. It was the most passing yards the Browns surrendered all year.
Surprise, surprise
As mentioned earlier, Taylor's breakout season paid dividends for the former second-round draft pick. The former Miami Dolphin, whom the Browns acquired this past spring via trade, signed a three-year contract extension late in the season. Moreover, Taylor is a relatively young player (he's entering his fifth season) poised to become a key player on Cleveland's defense.
Outlook for 2017
With Taylor and two-time Pro Bowler Joe Haden set to anchor the team at cornerback, undrafted free agent Briean Boddy-Calhoun also figures to keep growing after an unexpectedly productive rookie campaign. At safety, rookie Derrick Kindred emerged as a starter before an ankle injury sidelined him late in the season. The same goes for Poyer, who's still recovering from a lacerated kidney suffered against the Titans. Ed Reynolds III, who was picked up off waivers in September, also proved to be a solid option at safety for Cleveland. Not to mention, the Browns -- owners of five of the top 65 picks in this year's draft -- are poised to add talent to the room with a class full of defensive standouts.
