Safety first?

Perhaps that’s the case in every other job, but not necessarily in the NFL – at least not in one regard with the Browns, for whom safety is last.

Their prized rookie safety, Jabrill Peppers, finally signed a contract late Sunday night that is for four years and is worth $10.3 million.

It’s tremendous news for everyone involved.

Peppers is the last member of the Browns’ 2017 NFL Draft class to sign. What they didn’t need was to go into the start of training camp on Thursday with the second of their first-round picks holding out.

Peppers, a Michigan product who was taken at No. 25 overall, is being counted on to help fortify one of the weakest position areas on the team, the defensive secondary. He will start at one of the safety spots, and they need him in camp from the very start so he doesn’t fall behind in the learning process.

On top of that, because of his versatility – Peppers played some at linebacker for the Wolverines – new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will use him in a variety of roles. Missing time in camp would limit that, at least for a while.

And it’s good for Peppers, too. Like any rookie, he wants to make an immediate impact and get his career started on the right foot. The possibility of that happening would be reduced – perhaps significantly — by a holdout. Those things get messy, and a lot of hard things are said on both sides. Nobody wins.

No team can really afford that, especially a young one such as the Browns that, in coming off a 1-15 finish, has a lot of work that needs to be done. Right from the get-go, the Browns have to be totally focused on the football side of the game, not the business side.

So, with that having been said, then, let that focus – let training camp — begin.