Akron Beacon-Journal: Browns rookie Derrick Kindred aiming for starting free safety job: ‘I want the spot bad’
By NATE ULRICH
Browns rookie Derrick Kindred suddenly seems to be a contender to start at free safety.
“I want the spot bad,” Kindred, a fourth-round draft pick from TCU, told the Beacon Journal on Tuesday. “It’s really what I always wanted to do. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed about being in the NFL and then getting a starting position on the defense. It’s something I want really bad, so I’m going to keep working toward that.”
Jordan Poyer has held the job throughout this offseason, but Kindred and Poyer shared playing time with the starting defense during Friday’s 30-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third preseason game. Each player received three series opposite strong safety Ibraheim Campbell. Kindred had two tackles, and Poyer had one.
“It shows that the coaches trust me a lot, and it shows a lot of growth in myself,” Kindred said. “I’ve only been here a couple of months learning the defense, and being able to improve my role each and every week has been something I’ve been looking forward to. I think I did pretty good. I still can improve on a couple things, but overall, I was comfortable with my calls, I was being very vocal and I was making some plays.”