BEREA ― It’s hard to establish yourself as a leader on a team when you don’t arrive until the season is five games old. At that point, you’re just trying keep your head above water as you’re jumping right into the deep end trying to learn a new scheme, a new organization and even a new city.
That was Tyson Campbell’s reality in 2025. The cornerback was traded by the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Browns for cornerback Greg Newsome II the Wednesday before their Week 6 game, and basically played that week with little to no practice.
Campbell’s had plenty of practice with the Browns since then. Enough so that he no longer has to sit back and can help set the tone instead of allowing it to be set for him.
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“I know that when he got here at the beginning, it’s kind of like he’s feeling his way around,” defensive backs coach Brandon Lynch said before the final practice of minicamp. “He’s really, like, communicating with the other guys, but now he’s cemented a role. We talk about, like, leadership being production, right? He’s a guy that not just produces on the field, but he produces off the field for our team. So it’s important to have him there.”
Campbell established that from the very start of the Browns offseason program. Despite the majority of the program, save for the three-day minicamp at the end, being voluntary, he made it mandatory thing for himself.
That extended to OTAs and minicamp, where he was one of two secondary starters to actually participate in on-field team drills. Campbell said early on in the offseason such participation, while voluntary, is important for setting the overall tone and culture for the team.
“Just to show my coaches and my teammates that the offseason is important, you know what I’m saying?” Campbell said April 8. “This is where we build character, this is where we build culture and this is where we can build those good habits that’ll lead us into playing in late January, hopefully in February for the Super Bowl.
“So it all starts here. It all starts in the offseason. So if guys see vets coming in and doing offseason, it just shows how important it is to us and to us as a team.”
Campbell settled in over the final 12 games of his first season in Cleveland after the initial shock of being traded from the eventual AFC South champions to the fourth-place team in the AFC North. His second game, and first in his new home stadium, he came up with a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
By the end of the season, Campbell had established himself with the Browns. He finished with 12 passes defensed, a forced fumble and 53 total tackles to go with the one pick six.
That was with just a couple of days of practice before his first game with the Browns. Now he gets a full offseason and training camp, even though there’s the adjustment to new head coach Todd Monken and new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
“There’s always room for improvement, stuff to get better at, and I’m excited,” Campbell said June 9 after the first day of minicamp. “Rudy’s defense has been exciting, the energy he’s been bringing has been fun, so I can’t wait.”
It’s been an offseason of transition beyond just the coaching staff. June started with the Browns dealing away two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for defensive end Jared Verse and three draft picks.
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Such a move can be crippling for a team’s psyche, especially a team that is as relatively young as the Browns are in 2026. Campbell, though, said that’s not the approach they as players can take.
That’s where the new Campbell the Team Leader gets a chance to show itself. This time, it’s as the one welcoming the new guy in the locker room instead of being the new guy in the locker room.
“We’re going to embrace whoever’s on this team and we’re going to be confident and carry that mentality that regardless who’s here, we all we got, we all we need. So whoever’s a part of that, we’re going to bring him in, welcome them in like a brother. We go to battle, we go to war for each other and bring winners to the city for real.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Tyson Campbell growing into leader with Browns now that he’s been here
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
