The Cleveland Browns had an open roster spot after the sudden retirement of Derrick Willies and have decided to fill that hole with former Vikings wide receiver Davion Davis.
Davis is listed at 5-11, 195 pounds and was most recently a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He suited up for two games with the Vikings in 2019.
He also played for the Blues of The Spring League this year. Davis is a Hutto, Texas native and will wear No. 16, per the Browns official release. Davis participated in the Browns’ mandatory minicamp in June as a tryout player.
Davis is someone Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is at least a little familiar with, seeing as he was picked up by the Vikings in 2019, when Stefanski was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota. It’s a longshot that Davis makes the roster with the amount of depth the Browns have at the position, but a strong showing could land him a place the practice squad.
Willies announced his retirement on Friday, which came after offseason knee surgery. He played in six games after going undrafted in 2018, catching three balls for 61 yards.
Browns Testing Out Demetric Felton at Multiple Positions
The Browns have some depth at the wide receiver position behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Donovan Peoples-Jones, rookie speedster Anthony Schwartz, KhaDarel Hodge and JoJo Natson are all pass-catchers that will likely see time next season.
An interesting prospect is sixth-round pick Demetric Felton, who has been working out with both the running backs and wide receivers during training came.
“I think the kid is a football player. To be able to do that day in and day out says a lot about his ability to learn, his ability to think quickly and break the huddle,” Stefanski said. “When you are the halfback, sometimes it is pretty easy when you break the huddle you know where to line up. When you are playing receiver, you are bouncing all around the formation. He has done a great job for us, and we will continue to see what fits with him. Until then, he is just putting good football on tape.”
Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt gave Felton — who he called a “running receiver back” — a solid review during mandatory minicamp.
“He is a running receiver back right now for us,” Van Pelt said. “The good news is he can play in both spots and gives us some flexibility. Earlier on in the OTAs, we were a little down on numbers at receiver. That is probably why you saw him more at receiver than you did at running back. He is a guy that came in, he is very smart, he loves football, he puts the time in and he has flashed out there in these OTAs.”
TE Austin Hooper Not Satisfied With Last Season
Getty ImagesAustin Hooper, right, celebrates with Browns teammate David Njoku.
Another factor in the passing game for the Browns are the tight ends, headlined by Austin Hooper, who signed a four-year, $42 million deal with Cleveland last offseason. Hooper missed three games and caught just 46 balls for 435 yards — down from his three previous seasons in Atlanta.
“I feel like every year my goal is to improve, and I feel like I am never satisfied. I feel like there are things that I always want to improve on,” Hooper told reporters on Saturday. “There are things in the offseason I made a point to address with myself and to get better. Spending more time with Baker definitely has helped me with my confidence more than anything and being in the same offense and knowing what to expect and what is expected of me.”
The Browns open the season on September 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The first game of the preseason is August 14 against the Jaguars.
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