The Cleveland Browns claimed safety Tedric Thompson off waivers on Monday.
The move comes in the wake of safety Ronnie Harrison going down with an injury on the first play of Sunday’s win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Browns did not have an update on Harrison’s status on Monday, the move to add Thompson might be an indicator of the news to come.
We've activated FB Andy Janovich from the reserve/COVID-19 list and claimed S Tedric Thompson via waivers
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 30, 2020
Details » https://t.co/ENNafuTC5s pic.twitter.com/Z3ugBeRwCw
The 6-foot and 204-pound Thompson was waived last week by the Kansas City Chiefs just 10 games into his tenure with the club. Thompson had signed with the Chiefs over the summer as a free agent, but saw little playing time and was inactive his final two games before being released.
Originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, spent three seasons in Seattle, appearing in 29 games with 16 starts. He played eight games with the Chiefs this season, and comes to the Browns with 82 career tackles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
The NFL will give the Browns a roster exemption for Thompson while he goes through COVID-19 testing protocols, so a corresponding move it not required just yet. But with the Browns waiting on the result of Harrison’s MRI on his injured shoulder, it might soon come to pass that Harrison goes on injured reserve and Thompson takes his roster spot.
Cornerback Denzel Ward is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a calf injury when the Browns face the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. That is less than ideal as the Browns will have to deal with Tennessee wide receivers A.J. Brown, who has 40 receptions for 638 yards and eight touchdowns, and Corey Davis, who has 42 receptions for 619 yards and three touchdowns.
That is when they are not dealing with running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
It is not all bad news for the Browns, however, as fullback Andy Janovich was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list and defensive end Myles Garrett is “on track” to be activated on Wednesday, according to Stefanski.
Janovich and Garrett have both missed the past two games.