Tag: Browns roster moves

Browns sign veteran DT Damion Square

Square joins a growing crowd at DT in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns have added another veteran to the defensive line mix. On Tuesday, the team announced it signed defensive tackle Damion Square to the 90-man roster.

Square comes to the Browns after several seasons with the Chargers. He played every game in the last four seasons and served as a key part of the Chargers interior DL rotation. The 32-year-old Alabama grad notched 20 total tackles and one sack for Los Angeles in 2020.

He joins an overhauled line that also includes recent signees Malik McDowell and Sheldon Day, along with veteran newcomer Malik Jackson and undrafted rookie Marvin Wilson. Andrew Billings is also poised to join the mix after opting out in 2020.

Browns sign free agent DT Malik McDowell

McDowell was a 2017 2nd round pick by the Seahawks before his life went off the rails

The Cleveland Browns are taking a chance on defensive tackle Malik McDowell. The team announced it is signing the free agent to a contract in conjunction with the addition of five undrafted rookie free agents.

McDowell was a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL draft but has never played a down in the league. The former Michigan State standout was injured in an ATV accident that caused major damage to his 6-foot-6, 300-pound body that summer. He’s had a rough go of it since then, including a disturbing arrest captured on video that landed him in jail for almost a year.

It’s a major reclamation project for the Browns and their coaching staff. McDowell was once a very impressive and disruptive talent at Michigan State, and Cleveland is hoping that player is still hiding in him somewhere. Expect this to be a zero-tolerance signing.

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Browns release starting DT Sheldon Richardson

The Cleveland Browns have released starting DT Sheldon Richardson

The Cleveland Browns have released starting defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson after two seasons. The team announced the move on Friday afternoon.

Richardson was due a salary of nearly $11 million in 2021, the final year of his three-year contract he signed with Cleveland as a free agent prior to the 2019 season. Releasing Richardson saves the Browns $12 million in salary cap room for the upcoming season.

The move comes in the wake of the Browns signing free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year, $8 million contract that could escalate to as much as $10 million. Clowney does offer some ability to play inside at Richardson’s tackle spot.

The 30-year-old Richardson started 31 of 32 games over the last two seasons and performed well. He registered 126 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and forced four fumbles in his time in Cleveland.

Browns sign DT Sheldon Day, TE Stephen Carlson

Carlson is back for a third season in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns made a big splash on the transaction wire on Wednesday by signing free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year contract. But Clowney isn’t the only player with whom the Browns did business.

Cleveland signed free agent DT Sheldon Day and TE Stephen Carlson to deals. Both ended the 2020 season with the Browns.

Day was on the team’s practice squad after signing with the team late in the season. He last played for the Indianapolis Colts. Day has five seasons of NFL experience.

Carlson was an exclusive rights free agent who the Browns tendered earlier this offseason. The tight end signed his offer, locking him in for 2021. He has six catches in his two seasons in Cleveland while also playing over 80 percent of the team’s reps on special teams in 2020.

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Browns officially waive DE Trevon Young

Young spent the 2020 season on I.R.

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The Cleveland Browns have officially waived defensive end Trevon Young.

The move was first noted on Friday but did not appear until Monday on the NFL’s transaction report. Young never appeared in a game for the Browns despite being in Cleveland since the middle of the 2019 season. He spent the 2020 season on injured reserve after reverting from waivers over the summer.

Young was originally a fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2018 NFL draft out of Louisville. The Rams waived him during his rookie season and again in the following training camp, which eventually led to his appearance in Cleveland.

Browns bring back CB Brian Allen

Allen was with the team during the playoff run

Brian Allen is officially back with the Cleveland Browns. The team announced it has re-signed the veteran cornerback, with exact contract terms undisclosed.

Allen joined the Browns in January when Cleveland signed him off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. He was on the Browns’ active roster for both playoff games following the 2020 season but was inactive for the games.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound corner from Utah was originally a fifth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has played in 17 career games, including one in 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers before he found his way to Cincinnati. He offers the Browns some options on the outside with his size and physicality.

Browns release DE Adrian Clayborn

The move frees up $3M in cap room

In a move that comes as a bit of a surprise, the Cleveland Browns have released defensive end Adrian Clayborn after just one season.

Clayborn signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract last offseason to join the Browns. Releasing Clayborn saves the team $3 million in cap room.

In 15 games, starting two, Clayborn recorded 12 total tackles and 3.5 sacks, and he also broke up one pass. He was signed to be the No. 3 DE behind Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon and ended up playing 38 percent of the defensive snaps. The 32-year-old is now free to sign with any other NFL team.

The move leaves the Browns with just Garrett, Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson at defensive end entering the offseason. Vernon is a pending free agent. The team also has Cameron Malveaux on a future/reserve contract.

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Browns re-sign CB Robert Jackson

Jackson is back in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns couldn’t quit the Robert Jackson business. Less than 10 days after releasing the young cornerback, the Browns have re-signed Jackson to a one-year contract.

Jackson’s return to the Browns was not unexpected. He has spent almost all of the last three years in Cleveland after being signed to the practice squad in the early part of the 2018 season. The undrafted free agent from UNLV has played sparingly and primarily on special teams until the end of the 2020 season.

Thanks to injuries and COVID-19 problems, Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup for Week 17 and the wild-card round game, both wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He didn’t play particularly well but showed enough against Pittsburgh’s aerial assault to merit a longer look from the Browns.

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Browns waive CB Robert Jackson

Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 17 and the Browns’ wild-card win over Pittsburgh

The Cleveland Browns have placed cornerback Robert Jackson on waivers in a roster move. Jackson appeared on the NFL’s transaction wire on Thursday.

Signed following the 2019 NFL draft as a free agent from UNLV, Jackson bounced between the practice squad and active roster with the Browns. Jackson played sparingly over his two seasons with the Browns until thrust into a starting role in Cleveland’s Week 17 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the wild-card round playoff win the following week.

If Jackson goes unclaimed on Friday, he will be free to sign with any team before the NFL’s official free agency kicks off in March.

Browns waive OL Malcolm Pridgeon from opt-out list

Pridgeon was on the team’s practice squad in 2019

The Cleveland Browns have waived offensive lineman Malcolm Pridgeon from the reserve list. The move was official on Tuesday.

Pridgeon was on the opt-out list for the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. He intially joined the Browns for the 2019 season as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State. He spent his rookie season of Cleveland’s practice squad.

The 6-6, 335-pound guard is subject to waiver claims from other teams.