Learn all about the Cleveland Browns’ three players claimed off waivers, and new 53-man roster

Despite not having the top waiver priority like they have the past few years, the Cleveland Browns still opted to claim three players off waivers on Sunday:

To make room for new players, the Browns cut DT Trevon Coley and S Juston Burris, while also placing OL Drew Forbes on IR. Our post on that can be found here.

Let’s quickly try to break down what we know about these players:

Offense

WR KhaDarel Hodge (6-2, 205 lbs) - Hodge was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Rams in 2018. He played in 14 games, mostly on special teams, registering 5 tackles on special teams. He was with the team in camp this year, but didn’t make the final roster. He caught 11 passes for 178 yards this preseason. PFF named him to their “team of the week” for the final week of the preseason:

In his second season out of Prairie View, Hodge capped off a solid preseason with his best outing of the campaign. He caught all five passes thrown his way for 76 yards, with all five going for a first down. He finished the preseason with zero drops from 11 catchable targets, and 10 of his 11 receptions going for a first down.

TE Ricky Seals-Jones (6-5, 245 lbs) - Seal-Jones was an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. In 2018, he played in 15 games, starting 5 of them, and logged 34 catches for 343 yards. Per PFF, he had the 3rd highest pass-blocking grade among tight ends in the NFL last year, and looks to rebound after a slightly down receiving year:

Defense

LB Malik Jefferson (6-2, 241 lbs) - Jefferson was a 3rd round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals last year at No. 78 overall. He played in 12 games last year, but was a reserve linebacker, only making 10 tackles on the season. This comes from our Bengals affiliate, Cincy Jungle:

Jefferson was viewed as a wildly athletic prospect who had some issues with the mental side of the game coming out of college. It seems the hope was that coaching him up at an NFL level could help, but it seems he wasn’t making the progress the staff was hoping for. His career stats as a Bengal includes 10 combined tackles. He kicked in nine combined tackles this preseason as well.

Other Notes

• The Cardinals and Dolphins each claimed 5 players, followed by the Broncos (4), Jaguars (4), Jets (4), Browns (3), and Panthers (3).
• The Browns had one player claimed off waivers — the Jaguars were awarded TE Seth DeValve.
• Our practice squad tracker is here.
• Going back to my “final 53-man roster projection,” I ended up getting 47/53 (88.7%) of them correct. I’ll take it!

Final 53-Man Roster (as of 9/1/19)

The following players do not count toward the 53-man roster:

• Injured Reserve: WR D.J. Montgomery, OG Drew Forbes, C Lo Falemaka, CB Phillip Gaines
• Reserve/Suspension List: RB Kareem Hunt, WR Antonio Callaway, TE Rico Gathers