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Christopher Edmonds

Browns Activate DL Mike Hall Jr.

October 12th, 2024 at 11:44am CST by Ben Levine

Mike Hall Jr. is set to make his NFL debut. The Browns announced a series of roster moves this morning, including activating their rookie defensive tackle from the commissioner’s exempt list.

[RELATED: Browns’ James Hudson Undergoes Shoulder Surgery]

The 54th-overall pick in this year’s draft, Hall was hit with a suspension to begin his NFL career following his arrest on domestic violence charges. The player ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and was subsequently handed a one-game suspension that was tacked on to the four games he already missed. The Ohio State product may have a tough time carving out a role, with Shelby Harris, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Quinton Jefferson dominating the snaps at defensive tackle this season.

The Browns will also be adding another defensive tackle to the mix in Maurice Hurst II, who has been activated from injured reserve. Hurst suffered an ankle injury during the season opener that required a stint on IR. The DT mixed in with his three aforementioned healthy position mates during Week 1, and there’s a chance the Browns go back to a similar arrangement tomorrow against the Eagles.

The Browns weren’t done adding to their defense, as the team also activated outside linebacker Mohamoud Diabate from IR. Diabate was knocked out of the season opener with a hip injury that required him to miss the next four games. The Browns have been mixing and matching their edge depth behind Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith, and Diabate may have to temporarily settle for a special teams role before returning to the defense.

The team made a handful of additional moves this morning, placing offensive tackle James Hudson III on injured reserve, releasing wideout James Proche II, and promoting safety Christopher Edmonds and wide receiver Jaelon Darden from the practice squad. Hudson underwent shoulder surgery this week that could knock him out for the rest of the season. Proche earned his walking papers after serving as the team’s primary punt returner for the first chunk of the season.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

August 28th, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Baltimore Ravens

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed:

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Browns Release RB D’Onta Foreman, Trim Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns kept four quarterbacks on their active roster, using other position groups to make their way down to 53. Here is how Cleveland maneuvered there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR:

Placed on commissioner exempt list:

Kevin Stefanski pointed to Foreman not being out of the picture, alluding this only being the team’s initial 53-man roster. The veteran back, who signed as a depth/rotational option this offseason, should be expected back, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets. Teams can use up to six practice squad slots on vested veterans. This is Foreman’s fourth team in four years, but he has managed to play regular roles for each. The Browns also have their two other high-profile options — Chubb and Hines — out for at least four games, as they recover from 2023 injuries.

Cleveland considered trading Jameis Winston or Tyler Huntley, with second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson showing enough improvement to have made the 53-man roster. But the team stopped short and made the rare move to carry four active-roster arms. One of the non-Deshaun Watson passers could be vulnerable, however, as the waiver wire will come into play soon. Winston and Huntley are vested vets and would head straight to free agency if released; Thompson-Robinson would need to pass through waivers. Teams often prioritize those players on cutdown day.

Hall is out of the picture for the foreseeable future, as his legal issue runs its course, and Wypler is out for the year with a broken ankle. The Browns designated Dunn for return. This will cut into Cleveland’s eight injury activations, and while the veteran blocker will miss at least four games, the team prioritized his comeback enough to use this early designation. Dunn has been with the team since 2020.

Browns Bring In Eight UDFAs

May 10th, 2024 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the eight priority free agents heading to Cleveland as part of the Browns’ post-draft haul:

  • Ahmarean Brown, WR (South Carolina)
  • Javion Cohen, G (Miami)
  • Christopher Edmonds, S (Arizona State)
  • Dyshawn Gales, CB (South Dakota State)
  • Winston Reid, LB (Weber State)
  • Aidan Robbins, RB (BYU)
  • Lorenzo Thompson, T (Rhode Island)
  • Treyton Welch, TE (Wyoming)

After playing alongside first-round pick Xavier Legette with the Gamecocks, Brown will collect some notable (in the UDFA realm, that is) guarantees to join the Browns. Cleveland is giving Brown $170K guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Standing 5-foot-8 and weighing just 170 pounds, Brown provided a contrast to the 227-pound Legette. Brown tallied 26 receptions for 265 yards and two TDs in 2023. As a freshman at Georgia Tech, the diminutive target totaled a career-high 396 yards and seven TD grabs.

Cohen profiles as an interesting add. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted the interior blocker as the 159th-ranked player in this year’s class. An Alabama transfer, Cohen started 36 games in college. This included 10 for the Crimson Tide in 2022, when Cohen received second-team All-SEC acclaim. The former four-star recruit was a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Alabama edition as well.

The Browns hosted Robbins on a “30” visit in April. They reached a pay-cut agreement with Nick Chubb, and while Nyheim Hines joined the team in free agency, the Browns did not draft a back. Robbins played for three Division I-FBS teams, transferring from Louisville to UNLV to BYU. Robbins’ most notable season came in 2022 — his lone Runnin’ Rebels year — when he rushed for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns. He totaled 485 on the ground in eight games at BYU.

Cleveland dipped into the lower levels of the sport in its UDFA haul, with one of its bigger-school additions (Edmonds) having transferred from the Division I-FCS tier as well. Reid spent seven years at Weber State, while Gales intercepted four passes en route to all-conference honors while at South Dakota State in 2022. Thompson twice earned all-conference acclaim at Rhode Island, starting 37 straight games along the Rams’ O-line. Edmonds transferred from Samford, having been a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (given to Division I-FCS’s top defender) in 2021. Edmonds picked off three passes with the Sun Devils last year.