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

Cleveland claims a new WR, TE, and LB off waivers.

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NFL: Cincinnati Bengals-Minicamp Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

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

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

Pos Updated Final Roster
QB
(3)
Baker Mayfield
Drew Stanton
Garrett Gilbert
RB
(3)
Nick Chubb
Dontrell Hilliard
D'Ernest Johnson
FB
(0)
WR
(6)
Odell Beckham Jr.
Jarvis Landry
Rashard Higgins
Damion Ratley
Taywan Taylor
KhaDarel Hodge
TE
(4)
David Njoku
Demetrius Harris
Pharaoh Brown
Ricky Seals-Jones
OL
(9)
Greg Robinson
Joel Bitonio
JC Tretter
Wyatt Teller
Chris Hubbard
Austin Corbett
Eric Kush
Kendall Lamm
Justin McCray
DL
(9)
Myles Garrett
Sheldon Richardson
Larry Ogunjobi
Olivier Vernon
Genard Avery
Chris Smith
Devaroe Lawrence
Daniel Ekuale
Chad Thomas
MLB
(2)
Joe Schobert
Sione Takitaki
OLB
(4)
Christian Kirksey
Mack Wilson
Adarius Taylor
Malik Jefferson
S
(5)
Damarious Randall
Morgan Burnett
Jermaine Whitehead
Eric Murray
Sheldrick Redwine
CB
(5)
Denzel Ward
Greedy Williams
Terrance Mitchell
T.J. Carrie
Tavierre Thomas
ST
(3)
Austin Seibert
Jamie Gillan
Charley Hughlett

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