There was, just a few short months ago, considerable enthusiasm around the Cleveland Browns not just for the potential stalwarts they landing in the early part of the draft, but the good fortune they had in filling out depth spots with the back end of the draft. One of those players who was drumming up positivity was tight end Joe Royer, who has the size and hands the Browns were looking for to be a backup to Harold Fannin.
With a strong rookie minicamp, Royer looked like he would be a big factor in a tight end room that was being turned over around Fannin.
Browns GM Andrew Berry said of Royer: “Joe has size, really good hands. He is a player that can produce both in the Y, which is kind of your traditional inline role, and the F role, which is a little bit more of a receiving role. So to have that flexibility in the room is helpful and important. So he was the guy that we liked, we felt was there for the value and we’re happy to add him to the team.”
Browns Have Not Had Joe Royer at Training Camp
But a strange thing happened with Joe Royer once the Browns reported for training camp this summer: He wasn’t there. The team cited personal reasons, which is understandable, except that as each week of camp has gone by, Royer has still not appeared. Meanwhile, the Browns tight end room is something of a blank slate. Free-agent signee Jack Stoll was cut on Friday, and the depth chart lists only Fannin and Blake Whiteheart, with no No. 3 or 4 players.
So, the relevant question is, where’s Joe Royer?
Daniel Oyefusi, ESPN’s Browns beat writer, noted that the topic came up on Saturday. He wrote on Twitter/X: “Browns coach Todd Monken was asked if he expects rookie TE Joe Royer, who has missed all of training camp for personal reasons, to play for the team this season. Monken: ‘I’m not going to comment on that.'”
Browns Desperately Short on Tight Ends
That’s fair, of course. Whatever it is that Royer is dealing with does not have to be made public. But it has left the Browns in a bind.
Royer appeared to be just the right fit back in the spring, when he was working as both a tight end and a fullback, a role that Monken wants to have filled. The Browns signed 34-year-old Michael Burton as a fullback candidate, too, but he has been injured throughout camp.
Carsen Ryan, the Browns’ seventh-round pick from BYU, has been working as both a tight end and a fullback this offseason.
“I think they’re going to have to work there, and we’re going to have to work some of the other guys we have on our roster, but we don’t know that yet,” he said. “Really hard in shorts. Obviously, Mike (Burton) has been in the NFL for a number of years, has a great feel for how to fit certain runs, how it’s going to play out. … But when you rep a number of groups, you’re going to have at least two other guys that have some feel for playing the position.”
Joe Royer Caught 4 TDs as a Senior
The Browns drafted Royer out of Cincinnati, as a fifth-year transfer from Ohio State. He had 29 catches for 416 yards and four touchdowns last season and was up for the TE2 role. The Browns let stalwart presence David Njoku go this offseason, so there has been plenty of opportunity to earn opportunities.
Whiteheart is the incumbent TE2, and though he is a mainstay on special teams, he’s not a dynamic playmaker, with eight catches for 55 yards in his NFL career. Royer had a chance to make an impact, but there’s no telling whether he will actually play for the Browns this season.
Browns Stay Silent on Draft Pick Who Missed All of Training Camp