Juan Thornhill ‘proactively’ pursued the Browns in free agency

The Cleveland Browns offseason has been a busy one. With all of the focus on the defensive line, both in terms of hype and just pure numbers, the addition of safety Juan Thornhill often gets secondary (pun intended) attention.

With Dalvin Tomlinson, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Siaki Ika and Isaiah McGuire, the defensive line deserves the attention. As does new DC Jim Schwartz.

In Thornhill, Cleveland brought in another champion safety to replace John Johnson III whose tenure was deemed a failure. While JJ3 remains a free agent and in the area, Thornhill is looking to put his mark on the team.

In Schwartz’s defense, Grant Delpit and Thornhill are expected to play sides of the field more than “free” and “strong” safety. Another addition in NFL free agency, Rodney McLeod, is expected to play an important role as well.

In the Browns most recent “Unleashed” video, Thornhill shared that his connection with McLeod includes attending the University of Virginia but also that he and McLeod exchanged jerseys previously.

McLeod wasn’t the only current Cleveland teammate that Thornhill had memorabilia from. Thornhill showed off the ball he kept from his first professional interception. Browns QB Deshaun Watson threw that pass.

GM Andrew Berry noted during the video that Thornhill “he really, really proactively wanted to be here” during the NFL free agency process. Thornhill proved his commitment with his Brownie the Elf tattoo.

Thornhill is a talkative, energetic player on the field but we also got to learn more about the team’s new safety off the field. His high school romance with his now fiance, how he proposed and a quick tour of where they live is included as are their spunky, playful dogs.

While Cleveland fans have been burnt by getting excited by free agents in the past, if Thornhill performs well on the field, Browns fans will fall in love with their newest safety’s energy and passion.

See the entire “Unleashed” program below:

What are your expectations for Thornhill’s role with this year’s defense?