Ahead of the season, a Browns veteran announces his retirement plans.
Rodney McLeod, a veteran safety for the Cleveland Browns, is entering his “last lap” this season.
This offseason, McLeod re-signed with the Browns in an attempt to make a second run in Cleveland. An injury to his biceps that required surgery caused his debut season with the Browns to end early.
Though he has accepted that this is his final season, McLeod, who turns 34 in June, isn’t quite ready to hang up his cleats just yet.
“For me, this is the final lap. Being undrafted at the beginning of my career has allowed me to have a long and profitable career, something many did not expect,” McLeod remarked on NFL Total Access. I’m excited to rock out with my teammates this year and give it my all. I’ve accomplished a lot. We should all eventually find ourselves in that final dance at the end of the year, which is where we all want to be.
Over his career, McLeod has recorded 143 starts, 718 tackles, and 18 interceptions. In 2018, he and the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII.
Rodney McLeod Teases the Browns’ Dream of a Super Bowl Win
McLeod is happy to be back with the Browns defense, which was the best in the NFL at the end of the season. Last season, he participated in 10 games, five of which he started, and he was involved in about half of the defensive snaps.
McLeod stated, “I made the decision to make this the final lap because last year was left incomplete.” “I desired a full year. My availability and durability make me proud. This year, for me, it’s completing unfinished business. I’m hungry and left food on the plate. For many of my teammates, I could say the same. We improved during the summer, and we’re going to enter the season eager, ready, and prepared to go out and achieve our goals.
McLeod is making hints about the Browns’ hopes to win the Super Bowl without explicitly saying so. A year earlier, despite starting five different quarterbacks and suffering a bad string of critical injuries, including one to McLeod, Cleveland managed to make the playoffs.
On his show “QB Unplugged,” quarterback Deshaun Watson made a similar claim, pointing to the team’s health as the most important component in winning.
“The parts are with us. All we need to do is assemble everything. “Hell yeah, we have a chance to do it once we’re all healthy and have the chance to play at the same time for an entire season,” Watson remarked on March 15. “We have the fan base, the culture, the special teams, the offense, and the defense. Now all we have to do is go do it.
Adds Browns’ Second-Round Select Mike Hall in Charge
This summer, the Browns didn’t make any significant additions in free agency. But the team was able to resurrect most of the main players from their squad from a year ago, including Za’Darius Smith, a pass rusher.
Using its second-round draft pick, Cleveland also chose Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall. In a group that features guys like Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, and Maurice Hurst, Hall brings youth to an otherwise older group.
In his rookie campaign, Hall has high expectations for himself, one of which is to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Anyone, in my opinion, could want that. Hall remarked, “You’d be a fool not to be in this business,” on May 10 at rookie camp.
Myles Garrett, the defensive player of the year, will also be back for the Browns. 14 sacks were totaled by the former No. 1 overall pick last season.
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