4 Young Cleveland Browns we’ll see more of in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
3. JoJo Natson, Kick Returner/Wide Receiver
Listed at just 5-foot-7 and 153-pounds, JoJo Natson doesn’t look like your typical NFL player. That hasn’t stopped several teams from giving him a shot to make it in the league. After spending time at Akron and Utah State collegiately, Natson was an undrafted free agent for the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. He never made the final roster and was then signed by the New York Jets to their practice squad.
Natson was eventually signed to the active roster and made it to the field for seven games as a rookie. He did very little as a receiver, catching two passes for 18 yards and ran once for 15. However, he was utilized as a return man, gaining 38 yards on 16 punt returns and 325 on 16 kick returns.
He didn’t return to the Jets in 2018 but instead joined the Los Angeles Rams. He continued to serve as a returner and improved dramatically on punt returns — gaining 429 yards on 45 returns in two seasons for the Rams. What he didn’t do was see the field as an offensive player, never getting any targets or runs at all.
2019 was a lost season for Natson who was on the IR and then he wasn’t retained. The speedy return man then signed with the Browns this offseason on a one-year deal and he was utilized more in Kevin Stefanski’s system than he had been anywhere else. It’s hard to see this from his stats — one rush for three yards — but Natson was on the field often in the first three weeks of the season before a torn ACL ended his campaign.
Before being hurt, Natson had 8.3 yards on three punt returns and 31 yards on one kick return. That small sample size was decent and his utilization on offense — even if as a decoy — indicates he should be retained in 2021. If so, he will be a player we see much of in Cleveland.