4 Cleveland Browns candidates to be cut going into the summer

3. Jaelon Darden, WR/KR

A fourth-round pick in 2021 from North Texas, Jaelon Darden was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during just his second season in the league and wound up with the Browns — who were desperate for help in the return game due to injuries.

Darden appeared in just two games and had a mere two punt returns for 15 yards. That was the only action he saw as he was never utilized in the base offense.

Looking ahead to 2023, Cleveland still has Darden under contract and it makes sense to bring him to camp and see what he has. He was an electric player at North Texas despite doing very little in the NFL. Perhaps he can find his groove and if so, he could be a long-term answer as a return specialist.

As it stands, he's more likely to be released before the season begins. The Browns have Jakeem Grant who is ahead of Darden as a return man and there are others who can do the job as well, including Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jerome Ford, Demetric Felton, and even Anthony Schwartz.

There's also an outside shot Marquise Goodwin could help in this regard. That's too long of a list of possible players for Darden to overcome.