The Cleveland Browns will be without the special-teams services of cornerback Tony Brown for at least the next four games after placing the former Alabama cornerback on injured reserve.
Brown went on injured reserve on Tuesday because of a foot injury after playing 136 special-teams plays in Cleveland’s past six games. He ranks fifth on the team in special-teams plays in 2024 even though he did not appear in the first two games of the season.
On his first play of the season for Cleveland, Brown caused a fumble on the opening kickoff against the New York Giants on Sept. 22.
NFL rules require players on injured reserve to miss at least four games before being restored to the active roster. The Browns’ next four opponents are the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 3, New Orleans Saints on Nov. 17 after Cleveland’s bye week, Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 21 and Denver Broncos on Dec. 2.Brown joined the Browns as a free agent in March. He spent the first five weeks of the 2024 season on the practice squad. Brown still played in three games as a practice-squad elevation. Because practice-squad players are limited to three elevations per season, Cleveland had to sign Brown to its 53-man active roster to keep him playing, and the Browns did so on Oct. 10.
Brown entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2018 from Alabama’s 2017 CFP national championship team. In 67 NFL games for four teams, he has been on the field for 494 defensive snaps and 1,193 special-teams plays.
The Browns play the Los Angeles Chargers at noon CST Sunday at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.
