By Jeff Risdon | May 1, 2018 8:50 am ET

No more Jabrill Peppers lined up in Vermilion for a punt return on 1st and 10!

So declares Browns VP of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith in his forthright appearance at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club.

Highsmith explained why defensive coach Gregg Williams opted to deploy Peppers some 24 yards off the line of scrimmage as a single-high safety for much of his rookie season in Cleveland.

“We had to do that because we didn’t have the corners,” Highsmith said, as quoted by Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository, “and we didn’t want to give up big plays. So we put a safety back there.”

After drafting Denzel Ward with the No. 4 pick and importing corners Travis Carrie and E.J. Gaines, the need for the “angel” safety spot is gone.

“You’re going to see a big change in that this year.”

Browns fans can only hope the emphasis on upgrading cornerback makes the safeties much better, too.