Browns Ink Former XFL Tight End to Deal

The Cleveland Browns have inked formed AAF and XFL tight end Connor Davis to a deal, bringing a new face into the tight end room.

Davis played his college ball at Stony Brook, and has spent time in the AAF with the Birmingham Iron followed by a stint in the XFL with St. Louis Battlehawks.He spent Weeks 11-17 on the Jets’ practice squad in 2020.

Davis isn’t much of a pass-catcher but could play a role as a blocker if he ends up making the final roster. He caught just six passes at Stony Brook, playing some of his reps at offensive tackle.

The tight end room in Cleveland is already packed, with Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant, Stephen Carlson and Jordan Franks on the depth chart.

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Browns Cut Kyle Markway in Corresponding Move

The Browns cut tight end Kyle Markway in a corresponding move, parting ways with the former South Carolina standout a few months after inking him to a futures contract.

Markway was a 2019 undrafted free agent signing by the New York Giants and spent time on their practice squad before briefly joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being waived during final roster cuts, Markway joined the Browns practice squad. Markway never took a snap in a Browns uniform.

Markway was one of just two rostered players to participate in rookie mini-camp, the other being defensive tackle Malik McDowell, a former second-round pick who has not taken an NFL snap due to injury and off-field issues. Markway also joined Baker Mayfield and other teammates in Florida earlier this month for some work.

Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt utilize multiple tight ends often, so must have not been convinced with what they saw at camp, opting to give Davis a try.

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David Njoku Adamant About Staying in Cleveland

There’s been much speculation about Njoku, who has been disgruntled about his smaller role in the Browns offense since Hooper and Bryant came on board last year.

Njoku took on a smaller role, as expected. He finished last season with just 19 catches for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added five catches for 66 yards in the postseason and improved as a blocker, which was previously a weak point of his game previously.

Njoku requested a trade last season and gave an uncertain answer this offseason when asked about his future.

“That’s a good question,” Njoku told Jim Rome about returning to the Browns. “I’m not going to answer that right now. I have no comment towards that at this moment. I’m just going to enjoy my family, my friends, and my loved ones. I have a couple of projects happening in the near future, so I’m just focused on the right now and I’ll let everything handle itself in the near future.”

However, he has since changed his stance the latest evidence of that coming from his social media. The former first-round pick reposted a story on Instagram, writing “I ain’t going nowhere!”

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