Browns free safety Grant Delpit officially signed a three-year contract extension Monday, one day after he and the defense forced four turnovers in their 31-27 home win against the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars. It's worth $36 million, according to NFL Media.
"I'm excited to further my career in Cleveland," Delpit said, via the team's website. "The city has shown me nothing but love since the day I was drafted. The Haslams, AB, all of my coaches and teammates, I can't say enough good things about everyone and the environment since I've been here. I look forward to continuing this winning culture and showing the city of Cleveland the love back that they give me. It's frustrating that the injury occurred yesterday, but I am doing everything in my power to get back as soon as possible to help the team win."
CLEVELAND !! we just getting started I appreciate you rocking with me #DAWGS #1 Defense
— GrantDelpit (@realgrantdelpit) December 11, 2023
Delpit, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. After missing his entire rookie season with an Achilles injury, Delpit was a part-time starter during his second season. He blossomed into a full-time starter in 2022. That season, he set career highs with four interceptions, 10 passes defensed and 105 tackles.
Through 13 games this season, Delpit has one interception, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and 80 tackles, which is the most on the Browns.
"When we began the season, our defensive staff set the goal of leading the NFL in three categories: Physical Toughness, Effort and --most importantly -- Badassery," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. "Grant's competitive, high-energy, on-field personality is the perfect embodiment of these characteristics. To see Grant blossom into a disruptive, heat-seeking missile in the run game while maintaining the ability to match-up in man coverage has been particularly rewarding for our organization because of the adversity that defined his early career. We've seen his work ethic and mental toughness in full force as he battled back from an Achilles tear as a rookie, and he's done nothing but make up for lost time since. We are happy that Grant will be a member of our team for the foreseeable future."
Delpit has played an integral role on a Browns defense that currently leads the NFL in total defense (263.0 total yards per game allowed), first in passing yards allowed (159.7) and first in third-down efficiency (29%). Cleveland's defense has not allowed a single 300-yard passer through 13 games.
just the beginning 📈@realgrantdelpit is here for the long run pic.twitter.com/geG6LOnkcR
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 11, 2023
The Browns' defense forced four turnovers in their victory on Sunday, three interceptions of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a recovered fumble after wide receiver Parker Washington lost the football. Their 20 takeaways this season are tied for the 10th most in the NFL. After improving to 8-5 in Week 14, they currently stand as the five seed in the AFC playoff picture as the conference's top wild-card team. Should these standings hold, Delpit and the Browns would face Jacksonville again in the opening round of the playoffs.
