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The Cleveland Browns are reportedly planning to bring back linebacker Sione Takitaki.
That is according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who reports that a deal is expected to be consummated in the coming days and will be a one-year contract worth about $2.5 million.
When LB Sione Takitaki agrees to terms with the #Browns over the next few days, it will likely be a one-year deal worth about $2.5 million. He's coming off of a nice year, but also late-season ACL surgery.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 13, 2023
Takitaki suffered a torn ACL in December of last season during Cleveland’s win against the Houston Texans. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve a few days later, one of four Cleveland linebackers who were sidelined by injuries during the campaign. (The others were Anthony Walker Jr., Jacob Phillips and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, in case you forgot.)
Update:
As Cabot’s report says “when,” the “when” has now happened as the team and linebacker agreed to a deal just slightly higher than the original report:
#Browns and LB Sione Takitaki agreed to terms on a one-year deal for just under $2.6M, per source. Good deal for a player that tore his ACL in December. Plans to be back close to the beginning of the season.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 14, 2023
End update
Originally a third-round selection by the Browns in the 2019 NFL Draft, Takitaki has played in 57 games, making 29 starts, and totaled 203 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in his four-year career.
It is too early to tell when Takitaki will be available to see the field this fall given that his injury occurred so late in the season, but reports have been positive about his recovery and the Browns apparently are confident enough that he will be able to play at some point in 2023.
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