Juston Burris was preparing for the Vikings up until Thursday of last week. Then, after he was waived by the Raiders, he was preparing for his next move.
Back in a familiar spot as of Friday afternoon, Burris was informed he’d be taking on quite the unexpected workload as the Browns wrapped up their preparations for the Los Angeles Rams. And Burris, who spent the second half of last season and all of the 2019 preseason with the Browns, wasn’t just needed to fill a roster spot amid a rash of injuries.
With the entire starting secondary sidelined, the Browns needed Burris, a former cornerback, to start at a position that was new to him as of earlier this year. As it turned out, the Browns needed Burris on the field for every single play in Sunday’s hard-fought 20-13 loss to the defending NFC Champions.
“I knew I was going to play a good bit. I didn’t know every snap,” Burris said. “I was thankful they had that confidence in me to do that. I think I helped the team out. Just glad to be here.”
Burris certainly inspired even more confidence after his performance, which included a fourth quarter interception — the third of his NFL career — that set up the Browns for a potential game-tying drive. It was reflective of the gutsy performance by the entire Cleveland defense, which was without five starters but still limited the Rams to 20 points — something that happened just once all of the 2018 regular season.
