WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Greg Newsome II is going to stand out to a lot of Browns fans when the team returns to Berea on Aug. 1.
He's going to stand out all regular season, too, and he won't have to be making flashy plays to do so, either.
Newsome is sporting a different look in his third NFL season, opting to change his jersey number from No. 20 to No. 0. He's the first player in franchise history to wear the number after the NFL altered a rule last offseason to allow players to wear the rarely-used number.
For Newsome, the change isn't necessarily about standing out more, but rather to signal a clean slate to his career as he enters a new year.
"I was just super excited," he said. "I was presented the opportunity, and I think it was pretty cool to be the first Cleveland Brown ever to wear zero, so that was a little behind it. Going into this next year, I kind of wanted a fresh start with everything, just wanted to get out there and have a fresh start. I'm super excited."
Newsome is confident the new start will lead to interceptions. He hasn't recorded one yet since he was drafted by the Browns in the first round in 2021, but he's still proven to be efficient for the secondary and has tallied 15 career pass breakups.
Could a new, flashy number will channel more risky throws his way?
"I mean, I hope so," he said with a smile. "Get a little bit more production. I hope that's what it causes."
But a fresh start for Newsome goes beyond interceptions. It's about showing overall growth, too, as both a player and a leader, which is an area Newsome has explored for improvement just as much as his coverage techniques or reads.
"I've been in the league for two years now, and I think I'm ready to really make that next jump," he said. "That's kind of what I mean by a fresh start. It's just ready to make that next jump. I kind of wanted to just change everything and that was one of the things."
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