![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1891303112-e1775502589640.jpg\")
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Former Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. is visiting with the Texans.<\/p>\n
Martin Emerson Jr. is drawing interest as he looks to restart his NFL<\/a> career.<\/p>\n The former Cleveland Browns<\/a> starting cornerback is visiting with the Houston Texans<\/a>, according to NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport. The 25-year-old is looking for a new opportunity since suffering a torn Achilles that wiped out his entire 2025 season.<\/p>\n Emerson entered free agency this spring<\/a>, coming off the injury that occurred in the final year of his deal. Signing with the Texans<\/a> would give Emerson a legitimate chance to compete for a roster spot on a playoff-caliber team.<\/p>\n Houston went 12-5 last season and is pushing for its fourth consecutive postseason appearance. Whether this visit turns into a signing remains to be seen, but it marks the most concrete interest Emerson has drawn this offseason.<\/p>\n Emerson Built a Strong Foundation in Cleveland<\/p>\n Emerson was originally selected by Cleveland in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State<\/a>, where he posted an SEC-high 11 pass breakups in his sophomore season.<\/p>\n He made an immediate impact as a rookie, recording 63 tackles, 15 pass deflections and one sack in 17 games. The following season was his best \u2014 59 tackles, 14 pass deflections and four interceptions in 2023, establishing himself as a legitimate starting cornerback alongside Denzel Ward.<\/p>\n In his first three NFL seasons, Emerson compiled 202 tackles, 34 passes defensed, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one sack. He made 33 starts across those three years and played in Cleveland\u2019s 2023 AFC Wild Card game, where the Browns fell to the Texans.<\/p>\n Last season was supposed to be his chance to play his way into a major payday as a contract-year starter. Instead, a torn left Achilles in training camp landed him on injured reserve before the season began.<\/p>\n Other former Browns have found their way to the Texans<\/a>. Fan-favorite running back Nick Chubb signed with Houston last offseason, and Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller is now a member of the offensive line.<\/p>\n Browns Reunion With Emerson Unlikely<\/p>\n Cleveland\u2019s cornerback depth is the core reason a Browns reunion looks unlikely. General manager Andrew Berry spoke warmly about Emerson at the NFL owners meetings but made the roster situation plain.<\/p>\n \u201cLove MJ,\u201d Berry said<\/a>. \u201cAbsolutely love MJ, both as a person and as a player. Selfishly would love to have him back. I think we\u2019re also realistic that with MJ and the injury that he\u2019s coming off of, to reach his personal goals, he\u2019s also got to be in a position where he has maybe a strong opportunity to compete for a starting spot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably a little bit harder with how we\u2019re configured with Denzel and Tyson,\u201d Berry added. \u201cBut certainly if that changes \u2026 we\u2019d love to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n The Browns have Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell \u2014 acquired in a trade for Greg Newsome II before the 2025 season \u2014 as their two starting outside cornerbacks.<\/p>\n The broader defensive picture in Cleveland is also in transition. Jim Schwartz departed after Todd Monken was hired as head coach<\/a> over him, and the Browns replaced him with Mike Rutenberg<\/a>, the former Atlanta Falcons<\/a> defensive pass game coordinator.<\/p>\n The Browns have not done a ton of work in free agency on the defensive side of the ball, but also didn\u2019t really need to. The unit allowed 283.6 yards per game last season, good for fourth in the league.<\/p>\n Cleveland added linebacker Quincy Williams on a two-year deal<\/a> and defensive tackle Kalia Davis<\/a> in free agency, but the defensive roster has otherwise remained largely intact.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJ.R. DeGroote<\/a> JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Browns\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Former Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. is visiting with the Texans. Martin Emerson Jr. is drawing interest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-857462","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-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116359498613669442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857462","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=857462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}