the rent\u2019s due every day<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\nIt\u2019s a saying he still lives by \u2014 especially this offseason, as Hickman and the Browns look to rebound after a disappointing 3-14 2024 season.<\/p>\n
For Hickman, that will include taking on a much larger role as a likely starter alongside Grant Delpit in the safety room. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a player, you want that,\u201d Hickman told cleveland.com when asked about stepping into that larger role. \u201cYou got to kind of have that mindset that it\u2019s OK if it\u2019s on you. We all want those roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Hickman embraces that responsibility, still carrying the chip on his shoulder from going undrafted in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing undrafted, that feeling, it\u2019s not a feeling that you\u2019ll ever really forget,\u201d he said. \u201cWith (safeties coach Ephraim) Banda, we talked when I first came here, whenever you feel like you\u2019re missing something, just open up that feeling you had when you didn\u2019t get a phone call. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo I remind myself every time I step on the field, every time I step in this building that the rent is due every day.\u201d <\/p>\n
Why has that motto stuck with him so much? <\/p>\n
One reason is it\u2019s a phrase defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz reminds players of almost daily. <\/p>\n
\u201cCoach Schwartz does a good job of implying that in all of our meetings because it\u2019s true,\u201d Hickman said. \u201cYou got to earn it, you got to pay your dues every day in this business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other, and more all-encompassing reason, is Hickman\u2019s road to this point.<\/p>\n
After initially signing as a UDFA in Cleveland, the former Buckeye had to play his way onto the Browns roster as a rookie in 2023, recording three preseason interceptions. <\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t get regular defensive snaps until veteran safety Rodney McLeod suffered a season-ending torn biceps in a Week 11 win over the Steelers that year. Suddenly, Hickman was playing crucial reps for a team that doesn\u2019t shy away from three safety packages in the middle of a playoff hunt. <\/p>\n
The highlight play of his rookie year came in Week 17, when he nabbed a key pick-six against the New York Jets as the Browns clinched a playoff spot. <\/p>\n
In year two, Hickman earned a more regular spot in Jim Schwartz\u2019s rotation, playing 463 snaps in 2024 compared to 312 as a rookie. <\/p>\n
However, Hickman struggled with a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss three games in the middle of the 2024 season. He finished with 45 tackles and had a fumble recovery in Week 3 against the Giants, but going forward the Browns will need more of his ball hawk tendencies \u2014 especially considering the defense only forced 12 total takeaways last year. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always been a ball hawk,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cLast year there was some injuries, things that kept him from being on the field. This is a really big season. He\u2019s in his third year. He should really hit a stride for us, we\u2019re surrounding him with some veteran players. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need Ronnie to really bring it all together. Showed really good flashes as a rookie and he played well when he was on the field last year, but we just need him on the field a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Around Hickman, the safety room looks vastly different.<\/p>\n
Juan Thornhill and the Browns parted ways, after two middling seasons here for the former Kansas City Chief. McLeod also opted to retire, and D\u2019Anthony Bell, who like Hickman is a former undrafted player who has played key snaps in Cleveland over the last few seasons, left for Seattle in free agency. <\/p>\n
The Browns brought in two nine-year vets in Rayshawn Jenkins and Damontae Kazee, while Delpit remains the top dog in the room. <\/p>\n
\u201cG.D.\u2019s a versatile guy,\u201d Hickman said when asked how his game complement\u2019s Delpit\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019m a versatile guy. We talk a lot and I think that allows us to play off each other. He can do things, I can do things, but it just overall works well for the defense, knowing that he can be here and I can be there and it\u2019ll play out the same.\u201d <\/p>\n
With increased responsibility awaiting him, Hickman knows this year has the potential to be huge, Banda said. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s put on some extra weight in the offseason, and entering year three of this system, the game has seemingly slowed down for him. <\/p>\n
His teammates have the utmost confidence in what he can do if given the chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cRonnie, he\u2019s a Buckeye, so you know he\u2019s going to come in ready,\u201d said fellow former Buckeye and Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward. \u201cRocket, he\u2019s been good since he came on. Just coming in, learning the playbook fast, being out there making plays. I always think about his interception he had against the Jets for the playoffs and everything. But man, he\u2019s going to be a good player for us and he\u2019s going to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a little over a month\u2019s time, Hickman and the rest of the team will be back in the building for the beginning of training camp.<\/p>\n
While increased responsibility is his for the taking, his mindset will remain largely unchanged once he returns to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel more comfortable in this role than other (roles),\u201d Hickman said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t shy away from that or anything of that nature. But like I said, whatever my role is, if that is my role, at the end of the day, what I owe to the guys next to me is going out there with my best foot forward and giving \u2018em my all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rent is due, and Hickman won\u2019t be late with his check. <\/p>\n
Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial<\/a> of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Two years ago, when safety Ronnie Hickman made the Browns\u2019 53-man roster, the undrafted Ohio…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,29284,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-139327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-cleveland-browns-veterans-minicamp-2025","12":"tag-clevelandbrowns","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}