Browns continue search for their third tight end

The Cleveland Browns use multiple tight end sets often, which is why they continue to look for help at the position. On Thursday, they worked out Jesse James formerly of the Steelers

Kevin Stefanski joined the Cleveland Browns as their head coach in 2020 and from the start, he proved he likes to use more than one tight end. Already with David Njoku on the roster, Cleveland brought in Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant.

While Njoku wasn’t thrilled at first with the room becoming crowded, he and the coach talked it out and Stefanski assured him that he would see the field plenty. Now in 2022, Hooper is gone and the Browns have just Njoku and Bryant on the active roster.

There are options on the practice squad including Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Miller Forristall, but Cleveland wants another tight end for their 53-man roster. They were named as one of the clubs interested in O.J. Howard, but he signed with the Texans and never visited with the Browns.

That doesn’t mean they’re done looking though, as they hosted former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jesse James on Thursday.

Jesse James would be a great TE3 for the Browns

James played collegiately for Penn State before being selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent the first four seasons of his career with Pittsburgh and had 120 receptions for 1,189 yards with nine touchdowns.

After his stint in the Steel City, James joined the Detroit Lions for two seasons and played for the Chicago Bears in 2021. His numbers have gone down as he had just 271 yards with Detroit and 62 with Chicago — and a total of three touchdowns as well.

Despite the drop in stats, he’s still an ideal fit for Cleveland as their third tight end. At 6-foot-7 and 251-pounds, he’s a big target that can help in the red zone — and he’s been able to haul in 68.4 percent of the passes thrown his way in his career.

In addition to being a sure-handed player, James is also helpful in the blocking game, which would be the majority of his job should he be signed.

At 28 years of age, he’s still got plenty left in the tank and would allow the Browns to continue to feel good about their depth at the position.