BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. sustained an Achilles tendon injury in practice Tuesday and could miss the upcoming season.
Emerson got hurt while covering a wide receiver during a 7-on-7 drill. He dropped to the ground in pain and screamed before being carted off the field with a towel covering his head.
A team spokesman said Emerson, a third-round round pick in 2022, will undergo an MRI to confirm the severity of the injury. The team fears he has a rupture, which would end Emerson's season just as it was starting.
Before practice, Emerson spoke with reporters and said he was looking forward to bouncing back from a subpar season in 2024. The 24-year-old has 202 tackles, four interceptions, a fumble recovery and sack in three seasons.
Emerson didn't have an interception last season and said he battled some unspecified injuries.
“As the year went along, my body was just kind of on a downward spiral,” he said. “Just had to do some soul searching, man. Pray, stay close to God and just work my tail off. Honestly, that’s the only thing that could kind of get me out of that slump, was the work. Put in the work and just come back and be ready.”
Emerson said he added 6 pounds of muscle to be better prepared to handle the rigors of a 17-game schedule.
His likely loss is another blow to a Cleveland defense looking to rebound from a poor season and already short-handed with linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck injury) and Jordan Hicks (retired) ruled out.
With Emerson out, Greg Newsome will likely move into the No. 2 corner spot opposite Pro Bowler Denzel Ward. Both Emerson and Newsome also played some nickel back, covering slot receivers. Cameron Mitchell would be the top candidate for full-time nickel duties.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (1) participates in a drill during a practice at the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson, left, and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (1) participate in a drill during a practice at the team's NFL football training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (1) interacts with cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during a practice at the team's NFL football training camp Friday, July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)
PARAGUANA PENINSULA, Venezuela (AP) — Less than two weeks after a U.S. military operation captured former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and as his successor, acting President Delcy Rodriguez, announced plans to reform Venezuela’s energy sector, the country’s largest oil refining hub dominates the northwestern coast. Across the Paraguana Peninsula, fishing boats share the water with oil tankers, as daily life stretches from refinery-side coastal communities and salt flats to the sand dunes of Medanos de Coro National Park.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Goats cross the sand dunes at Medanos de Coro National Park in Falcon state, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People work at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People work at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People work at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Francklin Fonseca works at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Truck driver Francisco Rodriguez waits to load salt at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Jose Gabriel Sanchez cuts a block of salt at the Salinas de Las Cumaraguas salt ponds on the Paraguana Peninsula in Falcon state, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Workers stand atop a truck being loaded with salt at the Salinas de Las Cumaraguas salt ponds on the Paraguana Peninsula in Falcon state, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Members of the Sanchez family work at the Salinas de Cumaraguas salt flats on the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Fishermen ready the nets as oil tankers are docked at the Cardon refinery in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Jarrison Arias sells shaved-ice treats along the road at Medanos de Coro National Park in Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A fisherman throws his net with the Cardon refinery in the background in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A woman walks her dog as flames burn from flare stacks at the Cardon refinery in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Fishermen ready their nets near the Cardon refinery in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Ceylis Mendez and her daughter Zoe cool off in the Gulf of Venezuela in front of the Cardon oil refinery off the shore of Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Fishermen pass an oil tanker in the Gulf of Venezuela off the shore of Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Flames rise from flare stacks at the Amuay refinery in Los Taques, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A boy stands on a fishing boat with the Cardon refinery in the background in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A woman who lives near the Cardon refinery hangs clothes to dry in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
