Ephraim Banda provides an outsider's perspective Browns hope helps safety group develop

BEREA — Ephraim Banda may have been the one Browns assistant coach most looking forward to the break the team is currently in ahead of training camp.

"It's been a sprint for me and my family," the Browns' new safeties coach said on June 8, the final day of veteran minicamp. "College football bowl game. Really recruiting and then I sprinted to this job, so I'm glad today is here because I finally get a chance to actually enjoy Cleveland a little bit."

Banda was one of several new coaches head coach Kevin Stefanski brought in or elevated from other roles since last season ended. On the defensive side alone, he moved two holdovers — Ben Bloom and Brandon Lynch — to the defensive line and cornerbacks, while adding coordinator Jim Schwartz and Banda from outside of the building.

Most of the coaches from outside of the organization came to the Browns with extensive NFL experience and/or connections to Stefanski. Banda, though, came with his entire previous coaching career — dating back to 2011 — in college football.

Banda was defensive coordinator at Utah State the previous two seasons. His journey in coaching took him through Incarnate Word, Mississippi State, Texas and Miami (Fla.) prior to Utah State.

"I think it was the conversations that Kevin and I had," Banda said. "I think what he was looking for, him and (general manager Andrew Berry) and Coach Schwartz, they were willing to think outside the box a little bit. I think sometimes, I'll be honest with you, sitting in the seats that I've sat in the past, I think sometimes that hasn't always happened in the NFL. I think you're seeing more of that thinking outside the box and going in a little different direction."

A different direction is something the Browns were looking for on defense after multiple years of inconsistent and disappointing play. It's why Joe Woods was let go as defensive coordinator within hours of the season ending.

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Schwartz was hired as Woods' replacement within two weeks of the season ending. While he kept linebackers coach Jason Tarver and moved Bloom from defensive run game coordinator to defensive line coach, he completely altered the secondary coaching spots once Jeff Howard, the defensive backs coach for the previous three seasons, departed to take a job with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Instead of one job overseeing both cornerbacks and safeties, Lynch was promoted from assistant defensive backs coach to cornerbacks coach. Banda, meanwhile, was given control of arguably the position that is the second-biggest question mark on the defense.

"One of the biggest things I learned becoming a coordinator is how important it is to bring the right people into the building, in terms of coaches," Banda said. "You can sometimes hire resumes, and that can lead to other things that may not be what's best for the team. … This group has been awesome to be around. I'm honored that I was selected for this opportunity to serve this program and work for these coaches."

The key is how Banda works with the safeties, especially with the high probability of Schwartz deploying three-safety looks a high percentage of the time. That's why the position has undergone a makeover as well, with Juan Thornhill being signed from the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Rodney McLeod — who won a Super Bowl with Schwartz in Philadelphia — also being added in free agency.

The player who may hold the keys to the safety position is someone who's not a newcomer, but a holdover. Grant Delpit is coming into his fourth season after being picked in the second round of the 2020 draft out of LSU.

Delpit missed his entire rookie year due to a torn Achilles, and has shown flashes in the two years he's played. Banda, who recruited Delpit while he was coaching at Miami, said he saw the kind of work ethic he needed to see from the fourth-year pro during the offseason to give him reason to be very optimistic about what lies ahead.

"I do think there's another level, and we've talked a lot about that this camp and in my opinion, he has done a good job of trying to take the next step in his development and really become what we all hope that he will be and he will be. It starts with doing it every day with a sense of urgency, being accountable. Grant Delpit was 100% all the way through from the beginning, on a voluntary deal, 100% from wire to wire in terms of being here, being present, and being here for his teammates. It starts like that, but also can you be 100% on that field and bring it every day, and he has done that consistently and he's getting better."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' coach Ephraim Banda provides outsider's view to help safeties