The Browns’ practice squad was built fast, and one addition stands out above the rest: Jaleel McLaughlin.
Cleveland is wrapping up its roster over the next few days before turning full attention to Week 1 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Andrew Berry has already stocked the team with more young talent, leaving the Browns as the third-youngest roster in the league. Most of the practice squad came from camp holdovers who just missed the cut, including cornerback Myles Harden and UDFA pass rusher Logan Fano.
McLaughlin is the one outside addition in the group, and he brings something the Browns’ other reserve backs don’t: real NFL production. Signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State in 2023, he put up 1,142 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns across his first two seasons in Denver. In 2024, he fell to RB4 behind Tyler Badie, and Denver kept Badie over him this offseason.
That background matters in Cleveland because the running back room is already thin behind the top names. Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson are expected to drive the ground game after Berry used two 2025 draft picks on them.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is listed as RB3 after debuting with the Browns last season and earning praise from Todd Monken’s staff during joint practice against the Buffalo Bills. Beyond that, Cleveland has veteran fullback Michael Burton on the 53-man roster, while Ahmani Marshall and Davon Booth from the preseason are now with other practice squads.
So if injury hits that room, even in a small way, McLaughlin looks like the next man up. He’s the most game-ready option Cleveland has stashed away.
Broncos general manager George Paton said it was “really tough” to release McLaughlin, one of Denver’s final cuts.
And from Cleveland’s perspective, the fit makes sense. McLaughlin is a more proven practice squad pickup than Marshall or Booth, and his skill set lines up with what the Browns may need behind Sampson. He’s a quicker, shifty runner who can handle the same kind of role in Monken’s offense, especially with the quarterback situation still unsettled and the offensive line needing time to settle in early.
That gives the Browns some insurance at a spot that could matter quickly. With McLaughlin on the practice squad, Cleveland has a back who can step in if needed and help keep one of Monken’s important offensive pieces moving over the next 18 weeks.
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Browns Linked To Unexpected QB Move That Would Shake Up Depth Chart
The Browns quarterback picture has already been murky with Deshaun Watson entrenched as the starter and Dillon Gabriel currently on injured reserve, but a new speculative idea from Bleacher Report would make it even more interesting. In the mock deal, Cleveland would go after Tua Tagovailoa in a trade with the Falcons, sending Gabriel and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick the other way, a proposal that immediately stands out because it would alter the depth chart in a hurry.
It is the kind of thought experiment that gets attention precisely because it is not rooted in anything confirmed, but it does force a look at how Cleveland wants to handle the position going forward. Trading for Tagovailoa would signal a major shift in how the Browns are thinking about their quarterback room, and even as a hypothetical, it underscores how unsettled the situation still feels behind Watson. [Read more 🡒]
Browns QB Chaos Just Fueled A Veteran Trade Debate
With Deshaun Watson still listed as the starter and Dillon Gabriel already on injured reserve, the Browns quarterback room has become the kind of unsettled situation that naturally invites outside ideas. One recent mock-trade concept pushed that uncertainty even further, floating a scenario in which Cleveland would send Gabriel and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick to Atlanta for Tua Tagovailoa.
It is purely a thought experiment, not a confirmed report, but it taps into the bigger conversation around how Cleveland should handle its long-running QB uncertainty. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to stabilize the position, even an off-the-wall proposal like this lands because it speaks to a very real need for answers, and the next move remains anything but settled. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Have A Dream Receiver Target Coming Into View
The receiver market has a way of reopening before anyone expects it, and Stephen Jones recent comments about the challenge of paying both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb only sharpened the view. Pickens is under team control for now, but the contract picture gets far more complicated down the road, and that is the sort of detail front offices around the league keep tucked away well before a player ever reaches the open market.
For Cleveland, the timing is interesting because the Browns are already positioned to look hard at wide receiver help next offseason, when roster turnover and cap planning are likely to push that need even higher. Add in the financial flexibility they can create and a coaching connection to Pickens, and it is easy to see why his name would register as one to monitor if the Cowboys ever have to make a hard choice. [Read more 🡒]