Tag: JoJo Natson

Browns release JoJo Natson, Bryan Mills, sign two back to practice squad

Despite being used recently as a kick and punt returner, Natson was released while two former practice squad players returned:

The Cleveland Browns ever-changing roster continues to get a makeover on Tuesday. The team switched out two practice squad players for two players that were on the practice squad last week.

The Browns released wide receiver and kick returner JoJo Natson and cornerback Bryan Mills from their practice squad. Cleveland then brought back wide receiver Lawrence Cager and tight end Miller Forristall to fill those two spots.

Natson is the biggest name among the group. He played in three games from the Browns this year, returning five kicks and three punts during that time. He was also on the field for 10 offensive snaps but did not produce any offensive statistics.

Mills had not seen the field for Cleveland but was added to the practice squad when the team was low on defensive backs.

Cager is a much bigger receiver, at 6’5″ and 220 pounds, than Natson and played one offensive snap for the Browns in Week 11. Forristall played in two games for the Browns with 29 snaps between offense and special teams during that time.

In their transaction report, Cleveland did not announce any new COVID-19 cases early on Tuesday nor any players being removed from the list.

Kevin Stefanski, Austin Hooper among Browns returning from COVID-19

Coach Kevin Stefanski and TE Austin Hooper among Browns returning from COVID-19

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The Browns have kept everyone on pins and needles with their abundance of roster moves over the last few days. And the Browns remain quite busy on Wednesday.

In addition to the Greg Newsome II news — the rookie CB is back from concussion protocols but added to the reserve/COVID-19 list — the Browns announced that head coach Kevin Stefanski is back in the building after clearing the required COVID-19 protocols.

Coach Stefanski isn’t the only member of the Browns to return. Cleveland also activated TE Austin Hooper and LB Jacob Phillips from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Practice squad WR Jojo Natson has also cleared protocols and returns to the team.

The Browns also made the earlier reports official and waived punter Jamie Gillan, who was still on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Browns activate Hunt & Conklin, waives two and elevates two

2 activated, 2 waived and 2 elevated. A lot going on for the Browns roster on Saturday. The team seems to be getting healthy at the right time:

The Cleveland Browns were highly active Saturday morning. As Kevin Stefanski shared yesterday, the team officially activated Kareem Hunt and Jack Conklin from the injured reserve.

Conklin will slide back into his starting right tackle spot while Hunt’s important role behind Nick Chubb and in the passing game is vital to the offense.

In corresponding moves, the team has waived OL Hjalte Froholdt and DE Joe Jackson to make room for Conklin and Hunt. Both players could return to the team’s practice squad if they clear waivers.

With Anthony Schwartz the lone player listed as out on the final injury report, the team has once again elevated JoJo Natson to help with kick returns. With Jackson waived, the team elevated DE Porter Gustin for the second week in a row to help on the edge. The team will also get Takk McKinley back after missing games with a groin injury.

Cleveland is as close to full health as they have been in many weeks going into Week 12 then have their bye week to continue healing up. Given the importance of their back-to-back games with the Ravens, on either side of their bye, health is coming at a very important time.

Can JoJo Natson’s speed, return skills secure a roster spot

JoJo Natson has a ton of speed and return skills. How important could they be for the Browns this year? Important enough to secure a roster spot?

The Cleveland Browns signed JoJo Natson last year to help their return game and add speed to the offense. Unfortunately, Natson was lost with an ACL tear during the first month of the 2020 season.

The team brought him back on another one-year deal this offseason despite only three games last year. In those three games, Natson returned a total of four kicks (3 punts and 1 kickoff). He also had one rushing attempt for three yards.

During his two years with the Los Angeles Rams, Natson was a very good kick returner averaging over 20 yards a return while also adding a 60-yard punt return as well.

For the Browns, a lot has changed in a year. The team had a very successful 2020 season and is now believed to be competing for a Super Bowl. The wide receiver room is also different since when Natson was added. Donovan Peoples-Jones played well as a sixth-round pick and Anthony Schwartz was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Those additions, along with the return of Odell Beckham Jr. (injury) and Rashard Higgins (free agency) leaves very little room on the receiver depth chart.

Natson is hoping that his speed and return skills will give him an edge. During the first day of training  camp, his speed was on display:

 

While Schwartz has a lot of speed as well, he has very little experience returning kicks. Speed is very helpful for a returner but having a feel for setting up blocks, when to accelerate and when to make a cut is a priority.

Natson’s return skills combined with his speed are what gives him a chance to make the roster. The top of the receiver depth chart seems set with Jarvis Landry, Beckham and Higgins. After that, if the Browns keep six receivers, Peoples-Jones, Schwartz, Natson and Khadarel Hodge will fight for three spots.

Barring injury, Peoples-Jones’ upside as a receiver and Schwartz’s draft position would seem to put them ahead of Natson no matter how strong of a camp he has. Assuming they keep six receivers, that leaves Natson fighting, primarily, with Hodge for a spot.

Hodge was an important part of Cleveland’s special teams the last few years especially as a gunner on coverage units. The Browns lost Tavierre Thomas and Tae Davis, their special teams’ aces, this offseason which could give Hodge a leg up.

With the limits placed on the return game, the Browns could prioritize the coverage of Hodge over the return skills of Natson. However, with lofty goals this season, could having another electric speed guy on the roster be more important? Natson has the kind of speed, and return skills, to make it a conversation.

Browns officially sign Cody Parkey, Troy Hill, 3 others

Four of the five players are returning Browns whose re-signing were previously announced

The Cleveland Browns officially added five players to the roster on Monday. The NFL processed the transactions for the free agent signings, all of which had been previously reported.

The only newcomer added is cornerback Troy Hill, who signed a two-year contract with a couple of voidable seasons as well. Hill spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.

Four Browns re-signed with the club:

  • Kicker Cody Parkey
  • WR Rashard Higgins
  • LB Elijah Lee
  • WR/KR Jojo Natson

No other Browns transactions were processed on Monday’s official transaction report. The actual contract figures for the new signings will be available shortly.

Browns sign S Jovante Moffatt from the team’s practice squad

Moffatt is an undrafted rookie from Middle Tennessee State

The Cleveland Browns filled one of the two open spots on the 53-man roster by signing safety Jovante Moffatt from their own practice squad. The team announced the move on Tuesday.

Moffatt is an undrafted rookie from Middle Tennessee State. He signed with the Browns shortly after the draft and has been on Cleveland’s practice squad since the season began. The 5-11, 213-pounder effectively fills the spot previously held by Montrel Meander, who was waived on Monday.

Cleveland still has an empty spot on the active roster after placing WR/KR JoJo Natson on injured reserve. That move also became official on Tuesday. Natson is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in Sunday’s win over Washington. They also have an opening on the practice squad with Moffatt now being on the main roster.

JoJo Natson placed on IR with a knee injury

Natson will miss the rest of the 2020 season

JoJo Natson finally got a chance to return a kickoff for the Cleveland Browns. It took until Week 3 before Natson, who doubles as a wide receiver, attempted a kick return.

Sadly it will be his only attempt.

Natson was placed on injured reserve by the Browns with a knee injury. The team announced on Monday that Natson will miss the rest of the 2020 season.

“I hate long-term injuries like that,” coach Kevin Stefanski said in his media address. “JoJo was doing a nice job for us on the offensive side. As an offensive staff, those guys will sit down and figure out if there’s another guy on the roster who can do those types of things. We’ve got to continue as much as we can to be difficult to defend. With JoJo’s role, we’ll work through that.”

The primary candidate to take over for Natson is rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has been a healthy scratch in all three games thus far.

Cooper Kupp will return punts for the Rams moving forward

Fresh out a massive contract extension, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has found another role to fill for the Los Angeles Rams.

One of the more surprising developments in the Rams’ Week 1 victory was that the team employed Cooper Kupp as their punt returner. Don’t be surprised when you see the fourth-year receiver catching punts next week. Sean McVay has named Kupp as the team’s punt returner moving forward.

McVay simply stated that “the more touches [Kupp] gets, the better it is for our football team.” It seems like the Rams plan on getting their money’s worth from Kupp, who just signed a three year, $48 million extension over the weekend to remain in Los Angeles.

Many expected fellow receiver Nsimba Webster to be the team’s punt returner in 2020. Webster took over the role from JoJo Natson last year in December and returned a handful of punts and kicks in five games. He made the roster again this season in a crowded offense and even returned kicks for the Rams against Dallas. But the Rams chose to go a different direction when it came to their punt returner.

Kupp briefly filled in for an injured Natson as the team’s punt returner in 2018, returning one punt for four yards. It appears the Rams have always been intrigued by the idea of Kupp as a return man but were afraid to commit to it full-time. With Kupp on the books for nearly $50 million, maybe they felt it was finally time to unleash him on special teams.

Expect to see Kupp catching punts for at least the next few games.

Browns 2020 position preview: Wide receivers

Projecting what the productivity for Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and the rest of the Browns WRs will look like in 2020

Last year notwithstanding, the Cleveland Browns do not have a rich recent history of wide receiver duos on their roster. The previous wide receiver tandem to go over 200 targets for the Browns was Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman. Yikes!

This year’s crop of wide receivers, similar to 2019, is a top-heavy group. Fortunately for the wide receivers behind Beckham and Landry, both players are on the mend, and there will be opportunities to work with Baker Mayfield.

Snapshot of the depth chart

Key Returnees: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Damion Ratley, Taywan Taylor, D.J. Montgomery

Newcomers: Donovan Peoples-Jones, JoJo Natson, J’Mon Moore

Key Departures: None

Factors Surrounding the Wide Receivers

I need to see what Beckham and Landry can do together healthy. In 2019, both players dealt with injuries, which could have slowed them down to impact their overall performance. Even with these injuries, both players rarely left the field; they played over 93% of the Browns’ offensive snaps. 

With two target hogs on the field, there isn’t much room for targets behind either one. On top of limited opportunities for targets, the Browns won’t have a use for a deep wide receiver bench. The Browns expect to play primarily out of 12-personnel (two tight ends), and there won’t be much playing time available for anyone else.

My concern for the Browns, even though there won’t be much playing time, is the depth. Beckham and Landry are amazing but there are serious questions about the other players behind them. If the Browns move on from either, or both, in the coming offseason or two, the Browns will have serious question marks at the position.

Predictions:

I don’t have concerns about this position on the football team. The Browns have two elite targets at wide receiver for Baker Mayfield. The Browns also made a smart move to re-sign Rashard Higgins, who has shown good chemistry with Mayfield in the past. They also drafted explosive rookie, Donovan Peoples-Jones, on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft. 

Projected Stats:

Odell Beckham: 88 receptions (144 targets), 1,226 yards, 7 TDs

Jarvis Landry: 93 receptions (144 targets), 1,150 yards, 6 TDs

Rashard Higgins: 31 receptions (43 targets), 297, 2 TDs

*Only projected the top-3

 

JoJo Natson: What the Browns are getting in their new wide receiver

JoJo Natson: What the Browns are getting in their new wide receiver and return specialist

The Cleveland Browns have signed some big-name studs recently including Andrew Billings, Karl Joseph and Jack Conklin. They are proving to address some of the less obvious needs as well through some lesser-known additions and that includes JoJo Natson.

Name: JoJo Natson

Height: 5-9

Weight: 159 pounds

Age: 26 years old

Previous Team: Los Angeles Rams

Natson went undrafted in 2017 out of Akron and was quickly picked up by the Indianapolis Colts and hung around for a portion of training camp before being let go. Natson then spent the remainder of the 2017 season with the New York Jets, who released him before the 2018 season. He then bounced from active roster to practice squad to active again with Los Angeles and actually saw valuable game minutes as their kick returner and punt returner.

Natson has shown flashes of being a dynamic play-maker with the ball in his hands, but he is one of the smallest players in the NFL. He does have a unique mixture of pure speed and acceleration. He was nicknamed “Flea” by coach Chuck Pagano during his stint with Indianapolis, which was fairly impressive as he showed flashes of excellence during the preseason.

There is an odd amount of hype surrounding Natson like he is the definitive answer in the return game, but he struggled last season with only 7.8 yards per punt return and 22.2 yards per kick return. Natson also lacks the size needed to consistently contribute on offense. Cleveland obviously sees something in the former Zip, but it is safe to say the return game should be an open competition.

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