What did the Cleveland Browns get in Jaelon Darden?

On Wednesday the Cleveland Browns placed wide receiver Anthony Schwartz on injured reserve and claimed Jaelon Darden off waivers.

With Anthony Schwartz now on injured reserve the Cleveland Browns were in need of depth at the wide receiver position. After being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Browns claimed Jalen Darden and added him to their active roster. Darden was a fourth-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2021 NFL draft last year.

Over his 21 games with the Buccaneers, Darden was the primary punt and kickoff returner with excellent speed at the position. Coming out of college, Darden ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Darden didn’t see much playing time with Tampa Bay in large part because of the other talent in the room.

The Browns love to send slot players in the jet sweep motion throughout the game and Darden could step into the role with ease. His speed and quickness make him a good candidate for the role that Schwartz used to hold down and his return skills could come in handy if he finds himself in the open field.

Cleveland seems to have both kick returner and punt returner figured out which makes one wonder what Darden’s role on special teams would be. At the very least, it gives the Browns another option should their returners get injured — and we have seen how often players have turned up injured for them this season.

Darden had enough talent to be taken early on day three of the 2021 NFL draft making it worth the flyer for Cleveland. After the team lost their primary speed threat to the injured reserve it made this move a no-brainer and one with a ton of potential upside.