A former Cleveland Browns tight end is getting another shot.
Pharaoh Brown has been added to the Indianapolis Colts’ active roster after spending the opening stretch of the season on the practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The move gives the veteran a spot on the 53-man roster heading into Week 6. Brown, 32, has been with Indianapolis since training camp. The Colts signed him August 6, released him during roster cuts and brought him back to the practice squad August 31. He had not yet appeared in a regular-season game for Indianapolis before the promotion.
The former Oregon tight end brings plenty of experience. Brown entered the season with 94 career appearances, including 56 starts, and 74 receptions for 752 yards and three touchdowns. His stops have included two separate stints with Cleveland, where he played regular-season games in 2019 and 2022.
Pharaoh Brown Had Two Stints With Browns
Brown’s connection to Cleveland began long before his NFL career. An Ohio native, Brown initially joined the Browns’ practice squad in September 2018. He had entered the league a year earlier as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders.
Brown appeared in nine games with six starts for Cleveland in 2019, catching two passes for 27 yards. The Browns waived him before the 2020 season, sending him on a path to Houston, where he found more consistent playing time.
He caught a career-high 23 passes for the Texans in 2021 before returning to Cleveland in October 2022 following his release from Houston. Across his two Browns stints, Brown totaled seven catches for 72 yards in 22 games, including 11 starts.
Brown signed with Indianapolis after the 2022 season but did not survive final roster cuts. He landed with the New England Patriots and produced a career-high 208 receiving yards in 2023. Stops with Seattle, Miami and Arizona followed before his return to the Colts this summer.
Brown joins a tight end group with an established centerpiece in Tyler Warren. The second-year tight end caught seven passes for 83 yards and added a rushing touchdown in Indianapolis’ 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The defeat dropped the Colts to 2-3.
Browns Need More From Harold Fannin Jr.
The Browns, meanwhile, need a bounce-back performance from their top tight end after Harold Fannin Jr. struggled to make an impact against the New York Jets.
Fannin caught just one of four targets for four yards in Cleveland’s 17-12 loss Sunday. It was a quiet afternoon for a player the Browns needed to help sustain drives in the rain.
Fannin had scored three touchdowns over the previous two games, including the go-ahead touchdown against Carolina. That production made his disappearance against New York particularly frustrating.
The problems against the Jets extended well beyond Fannin. Deshaun Watson was sacked eight times, and Cleveland finished with just 197 total yards and 13 first downs. More opportunities for Fannin on quick throws could help, but the Browns also need better protection and execution to make those chances count.
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