The Cleveland Browns are less than a week away from kicking off the much anticipated 2021 NFL season with a Week 1 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. That doesn’t mean they are done making roster additions. With a 53-man roster and a 16-man practice squad, expect the team to continue to make moves throughout the season.
The extended 17-game regular season makes it vital that the Browns have reserves that can play if and when injuries occur. With a Super Bowl goal in mind, Cleveland is hoping to play 20 or 21 games this season. That requires a lot of depth and a lot of luck.
The team added another player to their practice squad today, a familiar name:
We have signed DE Ifeadi Odenigbo to our practice squad.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 6, 2021
Odenigbo was one of only a few names from outside the organization that we had predicted for the team’s practice squad last week.
With Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley, Cleveland is expecting a lot from their edge rushers. Only Joe Jackson, after being waived and then brought back, is around for depth.
In 2021, like in 2020, teams are able to bring players up from the practice squad on game days. Odenigbo joins Porter Gustin and Curtis Weaver as edge rushers that could be called up.
With his best season coming in 2019 with the Minnesota Vikings, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has a history with the most recent signing. That season, he put up seven sacks, seven tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits. Ogenigbo wasn’t able to build on those numbers as a starter in 2020.
The former one-time Brown (claimed by the team in 2018 for a short time) is from Centerville, Ohio and gets a chance to revitalize his career in his home state for a team competing for a Super Bowl.
The Browns practice squad is now full at 16 players.