Browns sign defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle

The Cleveland Browns missed out on free agents Gerald McCoy and Mike Daniels in their quest to improve the depth among the defensive tackles.

General manager John Dorsey took another shot at the problem on Saturday by signing defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle.

Sprinkle played collegiately at Ohio State, where his career got off to a slow start. He played in three games as a freshman without recording a stat, but appeared in 12 games as a backup during his second season, making four tackles and recovering a fumble.

He was lost for the 2016 season when he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the opening game, but came back for his senior season, where he was named a team captain and posted 16 tackles.

Given that rocky career path, Sprinkle was not selected in the 2018 NFL Draft and ultimately signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent. He spent training camp and the preseason with the Panthers before being released prior to the start of the season.

This past spring he played in the short-lived Alliance of American Football league with the Atlanta Legends, and also participated in rookie minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Browns are set at the defensive tackle position as far as the starters go with Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson, although Richardson is currently dealing with an abdominal injury. But they appear less than comfortable with their current backups, given that they keep looking to sign free agents at the position.

To make room on the roster for Sprinkle, the Browns waived cornerback Jermaine Ponder.