The Cleveland Browns haven’t stopped despite the ongoing drama surrounding the most important position in football. So far this offseason, the Browns have:
- Agreed to trade for WR Amari Cooper
- Agreed to a deal with DT Taven Bryan
- Agreed to trade LB Mack Wilson for DE Chase Winovich
- Released WR Jarvis Landry
- Released OL J.C. Tretter
- Lost DB M.J. Stewart to the Houston Texans
- Received the 99th selection as a compensatory pick in the 2022 NFL draft
While the team’s pursuit of Deshaun Watson picked up yesterday with them flying down to talk to him, the drama around Baker Mayfield increased with his, seeming, goodbye letter to the city of Cleveland.
That hasn’t stopped the moves as a little after midnight Wednesday morning, news broke that the team has added a new return man and receiver:
The #Browns are signing Pro Bowl return man and WR Jakeem Grant to a three-year deal worth up to $13.8 million, per source. đź’°
Grant’s deal was negotiated by agent @Murphy_McGuire of @OctagonFootball.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2022
As noted, Grant is primarily a return man that plays some wide receiver.
Grant has played six seasons in the NFL primarily with the Miami Dolphins but finished last season with the Chicago Bears. He has four punt return touchdowns in his career and two kick-off return scores.
The diminutive (5’7″) Grant was a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He has 100 receptions to his credit for just over 1,100 yards despite only being targeted a total of 161 times in his six seasons. He’s also run the ball 17 times for 76 yards and a score.
While Demetric Felton, Anthony Schwartz and D’Ernest Johnson took turns, along with others, returning kicks last year, none were overly successful. Grant will step into that role immediately while also adding some explosive ability from the slot.