The Browns will open the 2022 NFL season with added depth at quarterback, thanks to Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension. They will also have an extra help at the tight end, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with former Steelers starter Jesse James on Sunday. according to ESPN.
Cleveland invested big money in the position earlier this offseason, scoring the franchise then extending No. 1 tight end David Njoku on a four-year, $54.75 million deal that makes him the fifth-best player paid on the spot. However, they haven’t kept a tight third on the original 53-man roster after the final cuts, so James is giving them veteran insurance behind backup Harrison Bryant.
Bryant is entering his third season with the Browns after being released from Florida Atlantic as a 2020 fourth-round pick. He scored three touchdowns in each of his first two years, making 12 combined starts in place of Njoku. The latter, chosen 29th overall in 2017, shone as a wide receiver but also struggled with injuries, missing 16 games from 2019 to 2021.
James, 28, has played sparingly in recent years but offers seven years of experience. He was last seen with the Bears, starting nine games in a limited receiving role in 2021, and spent the previous two seasons with the Lions. He is best known for a four-year run with the Steelers, who drafted him in 2015, succeeding two-time Pro Bowler Heath Miller as Pittsburgh’s top target in that role. His best year came in 2018, when he posted a career-best 423 yards on 30 catches.
