Browns sign Joseph Charlton to reserve/futures contract

The Cleveland Browns signed punter Joseph Charlton to a reserve/futures contract on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5 and 190-pound Charlton was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 by the Carolina Panthers. He punted 45 times his rookie season for an average of 46.3 yards per punt, and earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 16.

Last season Charlton kicked in five games with the Panthers before being released. He subsequently signed with the Jaguars, appearing in one game where he punted three times for an average of 50.7 yards per punt.

All told so far, Charlton has punted 69 times for 3,055 yards, with 29 landing inside the 20-yard line, and a 44.3 average, according to clevelandbrowns.com.

With Charlton’s signing, the Browns currently have 14 players signed to reserve/futures contracts, including

• Chris Blewitt, placekicker
• Miller Forristall, tight end
• Hjalte Froholdt, offensive guard
• Nick Guggemos, tight end
• Willie Harvey Jr, linebacker
• John Kelly Jr., running back
• Nate Meadors, safety
• Herb Miller, cornerback
• David Moore, offensive guard
• Elijah Nkansah, offensive tackle
• Johnny Stanton IV, fullback
• Alex Taylor, offensive tackle
• Curtis Weaver, defensive end
• Joseph Charlton, punter

Reserve/futures contracts do not go into effect until the beginning of the new league year, which this year begins on March 16 at 4 p.m. The contracts will not count against a team’s salary cap or 53-man roster limit until the new league year; after that, they will count against the salary cap and the 90-man roster limit for training camp.

Unlike the practice squad, where players can be signed by another team, players who are signed under a reserve/futures contract cannot be signed by another team.