Tag: Cleveland Browns practice squad

CB Robert Jackson signed from Browns’ practice squad

Jackson has bounced between the Browns’ active roster and practice squad since 2018

Faced with an opening on the active roster with CB Greedy Williams going on injured reserve, the Cleveland Browns chose to promote from within. The Browns signed cornerback Robert Jackson off the team’s practice squad and to the active 53-man roster on Wednesday.

Jackson has seen this movie before. The follically gifted CB bounced between the Browns’ active roster and practice squad in 2019 and has been with the team for the last two seasons in some capacity.

The move bolsters the CB depth on the active roster. It also leaves an opening on the practice squad. With QB Garrett Gilbert now gone, the Browns still have just two quarterbacks on the roster, Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum.

Browns shake up the protected practice squad list for Week 6

Elijah Benton stands out amongst the 4 protected for Week 6

After a couple of recent defections and promotions, the Cleveland Browns protected list on the Week 6 practice squad looks different than the recent editions.

With RB Dontrell Hilliard now on the active roster and both OT Greg Senat and QB Garrett Gilbert on the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man active roster, the Browns had to find some new players to protect from other teams signing away.

And mix it up they did. The Browns protected list for Week 6:

S Elijah Benton

DT Joey Ivie

RB John Kelly

PK Matt McCrane

McCrane has been a consistent presence, but the others are almost unprecedented. Protecting Benton, a physically gifted undrafted rookie, could be a sign the Browns think he’s progressing towards the 53-man roster.

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Browns add TE Jordan Franks, OT Timon Parris to practice squad

Both new players have ties to Browns coaches

The Browns filled a couple of vacant positions on the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. Cleveland announced it has signed tight end Jordan Franks and offensive tackle Timon Parris to the 16-man practice squad.

They had an unexpected opening when the Cowboys signed QB Garrett Gilbert away before the team could slap the protected label on the veteran once again.

Franks and Parris are both familiar players for a Browns coach.

Franks played in Cincinnati under Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in 2018-2019. Most of that time was spent on the Bengals’ practice squad, but the Central Florida product did haul in two receptions for 37 yards in six total games in his rookie campaign.

Parris was on the Washington Football Team in 2018-2019, where he was coached by now-Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. He entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie from Stony Brook in 2018.

Cowboys sign QB Garrett Gilbert off the Browns practice squad

The Browns have been protecting Gilbert but the Cowboys pounced before the protection window opened in Week 6

Garrett Gilbert is headed back home to Texas. Cleveland’s No. 3 quarterback is being signed off the Browns practice squad by the Dallas Cowboys, per numerous sources on Monday night.

It’s the second week in a row the Cowboys have poached the Browns’ practice squad. Last week they plucked offensive tackle Greg Senat, who had been on the protected list all year. Senat did play special teams on Sunday for the Cowboys.

Dallas is taking advantage of the window between the end of the game on Sunday and the start of the protection window, which is Tuesday for teams that play on Sunday. Teams can protect up to four practice squad players per week, but they are capable of being signed away in that timeframe.

Gilbert had been on the Browns’ protected list every week. He saw limited action for the Browns in 2019, throwing three total passes in five games. He stuck around on the practice squad after the Browns signed veteran Case Keenum to be Baker Mayfield’s backup.

Gilbert played collegiately at SMU after transferring from Texas. He attended the same high school, Lake Travis in Austin, as Mayfield.

The Cowboys have a need for QB depth with Dak Prescott out for the season with his gruesome ankle injury. Gilbert will back up new starter Andy Dalton.

The Browns now have an opening on the practice squad. With just Mayfield and Keenum at QB on the roster, the team should be in the market for a No. 3.

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Browns sign LB Montrel Meander, WR Ryan Switzer to the practice squad

Switzer brings another option as a return specialist

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Montrel Meander is back with the Browns. He never really left even though the team waived the linebacker on Monday.

After clearing waivers, Meander quickly re-signed with the Browns on the team’s practice squad. He spent the first week of the season there before being elevated in the Week 2 game against the Bengals.

He’s joined on the practice squad by a newcomer, though a familiar one for many fans. Wide receiver Ryan Switzer signed with Cleveland’s practice squad on Thursday. Switzer met with the team earlier in the week and cleared COVID-19 protocols to sign with the Browns.

Switzer played 41 games in his first three NFL seasons, 2017 with Dallas (this week’s opponent) and 2018-2019 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is a slot receiver but saw more action as a return specialist. He made the NFL’s all-rookie team as a return man for the Cowboys in 2017 and finished in the top eight in total return yards in each of his first two seasons.

Cleveland lost return specialist JoJo Natson to I.R. with a knee injury in Week 3.

Browns make a change to the protected practice squad for Week 4

Garrett Gilbert and Greg Senat have been protected every week

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The protected practice squad continues to change a little every week for the Cleveland Browns. As has been the growing custom, the Browns kept three of the four protected players as the same from one week to the next in Week 4.

This week, the team kept three of the same players protected from a week ago: QB Garrett Gilbert, PK Matt McCrane and OT Greg Senat. They are joined by defensive tackle Joey Ivie for Week 4. He gets the nod instead of RB Dontrell Hilliard, who was protected for Week 3.

Gilbert and Senat have been on the protected list all four weeks, though neither has been promoted to the active roster for game days yet.

The protected list prevents the players listed from being signed by another team to the active roster during the week.

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Browns elevate A.J. Green from the practice squad for Week 3

With Greedy Williams out and Denzel Ward questionable, elevating Green makes sense

Still battling an injury-riddled secondary, the Cleveland Browns made a move to bolster the depth chart for Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team.

The Browns elevated cornerback A.J. Green from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 3. Green will be capable of playing on Sunday and then revert back to the practice squad without passing through waivers.

Green, an undrafted rookie from Oklahoma State, brings some size to the Browns secondary. He also has a relatively healthy body, and that makes him valuable for the Browns. Cleveland will still be without starting CB Greedy Williams, and fellow starter Denzel Ward is questionable with a groin injury suffered in Thursday’s practice.

The Browns can still elevate one more player for Sunday’s game. With starting defensive end Olivier Vernon ruled out and reserve Adrian Clayborn questionable, keep an eye on recent signee Jalen Jelks or Joey Ivie to get the other nod.

Browns continue practice squad protection for Garrett Gilbert, Greg Senat

Gilbert and OT Greg Senat have been protected all three weeks

For the third week in a row, Garrett Gilbert has been one of the four protected practice squad players for the Cleveland Browns. Protecting the third-string QB from getting signed away by another team remains a priority for coach Kevin Stefanski and his Browns staff.

Gilbert has been on the 4-man protected list all three weeks. So has offensive tackle Greg Senat, who was signed just before Week 1.

This week they are joined by new practice squad kicker Matthew McCrane and running back Dontrell Hilliard. McCrane was just signed to the Browns’ practice squad on Tuesday and was almost immediately placed on the protected list. Cody Parkey was protected prior to Week 1 before usurping the starting PK role from ineffective Austin Seibert for Week 2.

Browns sign DE Jalen Jelks, PK Matthew McCrane to practice squad

To make room the Browns released DT Tanzel Smart from the practice squad

Two of the players who worked out for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday officially joined the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. Following their clearance of the COVID-19 protocols, the team added DE Jalen Jelks and PK Matthew McCrane to the practice squad.

Jelks is in his second year out of Oregon. As a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, the long-limbed (6-5/256) Jelks spent his rookie campaign on Dallas’ injured reserve. He was most recently with the Carolina Panthers. Jelks has yet to appear in an NFL game.

McCrane is in his third NFL season, and the Browns are his fourth team in that span. The Kansas State product played with the Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers as a rookie in 2018. McCrane made eight of 12 field goals as well as all nine extra points he attempted.

The Browns had one vacant spot on the 16-man practice squad. To make room for another, Cleveland released DT Tanzel Smart.

Browns sign TE Kyle Markway to the practice squad

The Browns still have one opening on the practice squad

The Cleveland Browns have added tight end Kyle Markway to the team’s practice squad. The Browns announced the signing on Monday after Markway’s name popped up on social media as visiting with the team over the Week 2 weekend.

Markway is in his second NFL season. Originally an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, the 6-4, 247-pounder spent most of the 2019 season on the New York Giants practice squad. He also has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He is the only tight end on the 15-man practice squad. The Browns do have one more opening if they choose to sign another player.