A future Tennessee opponent appears to be closing in on a notable addition from the pro ranks.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns are waiving rookie tight end Dae’Quan Wright, and he “has an agreement in place” to join Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers this season if he clears waivers.
Wright’s path has moved quickly. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, was claimed by Cleveland on waivers on Aug. 11, and now could be headed right back to college.
Schefter framed the situation this way on X: “There are a handful of players currently in training camp, or players who have already been cut and were on camp rosters, who are currently in the transfer portal. Dae’Quan Wright now is the first to fully commit to a college team again.”
The timing makes the move especially interesting for Tennessee. If Wright lands at LSU, he’ll have plenty of runway to get comfortable before the Tigers come to Knoxville on Nov.
- Tennessee will host LSU in the second-to-last game of the regular season, a matchup that could carry playoff implications for either team.
Wright didn’t appear in either of Cleveland’s first two preseason games, though he did suit up in pads for Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. He also hasn’t practiced in more than a week, and ESPN reported that head coach Todd Monken said he has been dealing with an injury.
The 6-foot-4 tight end spent his first two college seasons at Virginia Tech before moving to Ole Miss for his final two years under Kiffin. Last season, on the Rebels’ playoff team, he caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns. The year before, he finished with 27 catches for 394 yards and four scores.
Wright reportedly entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. He and a group of athletes filed a lawsuit in Louisiana and were granted a TRO to return to college for one more season of eligibility in 2026.
That ruling was overturned Friday by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals after the NCAA pushed back against the original TRO. ESPN noted that the stay granted to the NCAA “does not wipe out the cases of dozens of athletes who have successfully petitioned for restraining orders to play a fifth season in state courts around the country.”
The situation is still messy, and one issue that now has to be sorted out is whether these former NFL players will face any kind of suspension to open the season.
That question matters for Tennessee, too. Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter is currently serving a two-game NCAA suspension after accepting a $427.48 pre-NFL Draft flight from an agent, even though he repaid it before returning to Tennessee. If other returning ex-NFL players end up in similar situations, will they get the same penalty, a longer one, or none at all?
For now, Wright’s next step remains to be seen. But the signs, at least for the moment, point to LSU.
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