Cleveland Browns Sign Familiar Face at Receiver As 2024 Opener Looms

With the Cleveland Browns just hours away from kicking off their 2024 season, the team made a move to fill a gap at wide receiver after waiving David Bell during the week.

While the team tried out speedy but confounding wideout Kadarius Toney on Friday, no contract offer was made to the Kansas City Chiefs roster cut casualty. With a Week 1 kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys looming Sunday afternoon, the Browns shored up their depth at WR by signing Jaelon Darden from the team’s practice squad to take Bell’s place on the active roster.

In turn, Cleveland also re-signed Bell and placed him on the team’s practice squad to take Darden’s vacated slot.

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Cleveland Browns Eschew Big-Name Receiver Acquisition

After a brief flirtation with trading for San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk came up empty, the Cleveland Browns current depth chart at the position features Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and rookie Jamari Thrash.

Rather, the Browns will roll with Darden for the time being. The third-year pro out of North Texas entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He has played in 23 career NFL games, including three games with the Browns over the past two seasons.

Darden has yet to catch a pass with Cleveland in a regular season game, rather he has served as a kick/punt returner for the team, fielding a total of five returns over 2022 and 2023. In addition to providing depth at the receiver position, he initially projects to be the team’s main punt returner in Week 1 and will likely see some time returning kickoffs as well.

Darden Joins Two More Practice Squad Promotions for Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns elevated three players from the practice squad prior to Sunday’s Week 1 matchup against the visiting Dallas Cowboys. In addition to Darden, the team promoted cornerback Mike Ford Jr. and offensive tackle Germain Ifedi to the active roster.

Ford is a seventh-year pro that was initially signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has played in 77 total NFL games so far, taking the field for the Lions, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, and Browns. He played in 16 games for Cleveland in 2023, logging one interception and 19 tackles, while also finishing second on the team with nine special teams tackles.

Ifedi, a ninth-year pro, was initially a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 draft. He has made 83 career starts over 102 total games with the Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons. His ascension to the active roster was made necessary after offensive tackle Jed Willis was ruled out for Sunday’s game.

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Article originally written by Tom Carothers