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Kaden Davis was added to the Browns’ active roster on Wednesday.
The Cleveland Browns are adding a new receiver to the mix, promoting Kaden Davis to the active roster.
The Browns officially announced the move on Wednesday. Davis went undrafted in 2022 and has since bounced around. He’s spent time with the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals on the practice squad. He spent 2023 playing for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL.
Davis spent part of last year and this season on the Browns’ practice squad. He’s been elevated for one game, recording 14 snaps on special teams. Davis also appeared in one game last season.
The Browns don’t expect Davis to be a significant contributor in their wide receiver corps, which features Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond and Cedric Tillman. But he’ll provide depth to the unit, which has struggled for most of this season. If he can continue to make an impact in practice, he might earn himself some targets on game day.
The Browns’ offense has not been able to get going this season, averaging just 16.2 points per game. The production from the team’s wide receivers has been especially troubling. In Week 8, wide receivers accounted for just two targets in a 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Browns shifted play-callers during the bye week and Jeudy was a beneficiary of the change. Jeudy notched six catches for 78 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He had entered the matchup with just 22 receptions over eight games.
“I think they’re doing a good job of trying to get me going, start the game off and just continue on that momentum,” Jeudy said.
Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel has stressed the importance of getting Jeudy involved as the team’s top receiver. Week 10 was the first time Jeudy looked closer to the Pro Bowl talent he was last season.
“Jerry’s a great player, and want to continue to do that and he played great,” Gabriel said. “I want to get the ball to the best players on our team. That would be the emphasis forever.”
Jeudy is also working on strengthening his connection with Gabriel.
“The more we work with each other, the more confident and the more chemistry we have,” Jeudy said. “So consistency is key. So every day in practice, every week in the game, I see him getting better, and that’s all we could ask for, improvement.”
The Browns’ wide receiver group has yet to be at full strength this season, a tough reality given the lack of proven depth at the position. Tillman returned on Sunday against the Jets, but rookie Isaiah Bond was out with a foot injury.
Tillman appeared in Cleveland’s first four games, posting 11 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a hamstring injury against the Detroit Lions. He was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 30, designated for return on Nov. 3, and made his comeback against the Jets.
Tillman finished with two receptions for 11 yards in the loss, but his presence was felt. He narrowly missed hauling in a leaping catch early in the game that could have been a momentum-shifting play.
Bond logged limited reps in practice this week. If he’s able to suit up, the Browns could finally get their first look at a full receiving corps when they face the Ravens on Sunday.
The Cleveland Browns admitted making a mistake with Dillon Gabriel during a 27-20 loss to the New York Jets that put their rookie quarterback in a bad position.
Down just one score, the Browns faced a critical fourth-and-one in the second half. But instead of running the ball with Quinshon Judkins, new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees called a pass. Gabriel had some options but was ultimately sacked for a seven-yard loss that ended the important possession.
“Look as a play caller, there’s always things you want back,” Rees said on Thursday. “Felt like we put our guys in position to have success throughout the game and then, when you do that and you don’t have success, you always look to why and what you can do during the week to help your players have that success. There’s going to be a handful of calls that you make that the defense won the rep, and that happens in football throughout a game.”
A reporter pointed out that Gabriel had an open option on the play, and Rees conceded again that they shouldn’t have put their rookie quarterback in that situation.
“Yeah, I should have run the ball,” Rees said. “I don’t want to get into the specifics of the play itself. You can freeze almost any play and say, ‘Hey, this guy’s open, this guy’s open.’ I want to make sure I’m putting our players in the right spot. I made a call, an aggressive one, it didn’t work and we got to move on to the next.”
The Browns’ offense showed some brief flashes of competency against the Jets. But overall, it was still a sloppy, inconsistent showing from the unit that is averaging just 16.2 points per game this season.
The results haven’t been there with Gabriel, who had a few costly misses against the Jets. Still, Rees said the issues haven’t stemmed from his decision-making or where his eyes are supposed to be.
“We always grade that part of them and he grades out pretty high,” Rees said. “Look, nobody’s going to bat a thousand. I don’t bat a thousand calling it. Nobody’s going to bat a thousand in really anything they do. But I would say he grades out where we want him. Dillon’s prep and where he is mentally for a rookie is really well beyond. He’s mature in that way and we want to make sure that those things that are happening during the week, we go ahead and execute them on Sundays.”
One of the Browns’ objectives has been to get the ball to Jerry Jeudy more often. Jeudy was a Pro Bowler last season but entered Sunday’s matchup with just 22 catches in eight games.
While the Browns lost, they were able to get Jeudy more involved. He snagged a season-high six catches for 78 yards and his first touchdowns of the year.
“Jerry does a lot of things well, and I’ll just say we’re trying to put him in a position to do those things in the right spots, in the right moments,” Rees said. “And, you know, we talked last week, when you get your good players going early, usually helps them throughout the game. So, Jerry’s a very talented guy who’s worked extremely hard, and, you know, he put himself in that position to have success.”
Jeudy and the Browns face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Cleveland is a 9.5-point underdog for the matchup.