The Cleveland Browns are bringing back Pharaoh Brown, adding another big-bodied pass-catcher to their active roster.
The Browns officially announced the signing on Wednesday afternoon. Brown — who comes in at 6-foot-6, 258 pounds — is in his fifth NFL season out of Oregon and re-joins the Browns after spending 2018 on the club’s practice squad and appeared in nine games with six starts in 2019.
Originally an undrafted free agent with the Raiders in 2017, Brown has seen action in 42 career games with 31 starts and recorded 46 receptions for 433 yards with two touchdowns. He appeared in three games with Houston in 2022 and recorded seven receptions for 72 yards. Brown was expected to have a larger role in Houston but OJ Howard has gobbled up much of the workload.
The Browns only had two tight ends on their initial 53-man roster in David Njoku and Harrison Bryant but quickly signed Jesse James as a third option. However, James landed on injured reserve with a biceps injury. James was placed on IR on September 20 and will miss a minimum of four weeks.
Cleveland filled the hole with practice squad call-up Miller Forristall last week. With the Browns signing Brown, Forristall could be cut with the plan being that he could return to the practice squad.
David Njoku Stepping Up as Browns’ Top Tight End
The Browns reshaped their tight end depth this offseason, releasing tight end Austin Hooper and signing Njoku to an extension. It was a show of faith Njoku — a first-round pick of the team in 2017.
After some tough years in Cleveland and even requesting a trade at one point, Njoku bought in, made his game more well-rounded with a focus on blocking and earned his spot on the depth chart. Njoku has stepped up to the plate in the top tight end role and has 18 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Njoku turned in one of the best games of his Browns career in Week 3 against the Steelers, catching nine balls for 89 yards and a score.
“I love everything that requires being a tight end,” Njoku said. “Whatever the team asks from me, I will do it 100 percent.”
He also appears to have built a good relationship for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who had jokes when it came to his hyper-athletic tight end.
“He always tells me he is always open,” Brissett said. “Every time in the huddle, he’s like, ‘I got you. I got you. I got you.’”
Browns Hoping to Get Healthy for Chargers Matchup
The Browns have been hampered by injuries the last few weeks, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. That showed against the Falcons, who ran against the Cleveland defense at will on the way to a 23-20 win.
The Browns are hoping to get defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett back after both missed last week. Garrett practiced on Wednesday for the first time since being involved in a one-car crash on September 26.
“With those two players in particular, they are both really physical football players, and I think it shows in the run and in the pass,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday. “When you are playing run defense and you are knocking people back and you are setting the edge and sometimes you are setting the edge so that somebody else can make the play. I think both of those guys are adept at that.”
The Browns face the Chargers on Sunday at home.
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Browns Reunite With Big-Bodied Tight End Amid Injuries