Browns Sign Cornerback From AFC North Rival

The Cleveland Browns added cornerback Brian Allen to the active roster on Monday, adding the former fifth-round pick from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.

Allen is 6-3, 200 pounds and in his third season out of Utah. Originally a fifth-round pick by the Steelers in 2017, he has appeared in 17 career games between Pittsburgh (2017-18) and San Francisco (2020).

Allen appeared in one game this season with San Francisco and also spent time on the 49ers and Bengals practice squads.

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Browns Evaluating Secondary for Matchup With Steelers

The Browns secondary did not have a great showing against the Steelers on Sunday in a 24-22 win. The unit gave up three plays of over 40 yards through the air and Pittsburgh’s backup quarterback Mason Rudolph threw for over 300 yards for the first time in his career.

However, starting cornerback Denzel Ward was out due to COVID-19 and the Browns were forced to play Robert Jackson and MJ Stewart, who had small roles previously. Jackson played all 67 defensive snaps, his previous high being six. Stewart — who had an interception — played on 94 percent of the defensive plays, a season-high.

“We will see how it goes and see how this week goes,” Stefanski said of evaluating the team’s defensive backs. “We do have options and you talk through all of those options and make sure you are putting a plan together that you think makes sense. We will do that again this week. As it pertains to Robert, he stepped up in a tough spot, just like a bunch of guys have stepped up in a tough spot. That is the name of the game right now. You have to be ready to go in at a moment’s notice.”

It’s short notice, but the Browns obviously like what they have seen from Allen on tape to sign him directly to the active roster.

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Greedy Williams Hints at Possible Return

Greedy Williams was slated to be the Browns starting cornerback opposite of Ward heading into the season, but hasn’t been able to get on the field after a training camp injury.

Williams revealed that he’s been dealing with axillary nerve damage in his shoulder, which helps control the deltoid muscles of the shoulder and the skin around it.

Williams hinted at a possible return when asked by a fan if he could return but later deleted the tweet. He replaced it saying, “It’s not a fasho go until I get a response.”

The Browns selected Williams in the second round of last year’s draft. He was considered to be a first-round talent, but the LSU product dropped due to concerns about tackling. He’s mostly dispelled that criticism early on in his NFL career and proved to be a key piece of the defense.

Williams was named the starter in training camp last season, and started in all 12 games he played in during his rookie season. He recorded 47 combined tackles and two passes defended.

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