Cleveland Browns Free Agent Review: TE Jesse James

Will Browns fans even remember that James was with the club in 2022?

After covering one of the Browns’ free agent tight ends, now it’s time to check on the other one: TE Jesse James.

How and When He Joined the Browns: After being in the NFL since 2015, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers, James played two years with Detroit and then was a backup for the Chicago Bears. He didn’t make the Bears’ final roster last year, so Cleveland signed him right at the start of the regular season to be their third tight end.

Productivity Level Last Season: James played in two games with Cleveland as a reserve before suffering a biceps injury. He was placed on injured reserve and never returned.

Why Keeping Him Could Make Sense: James had a history of being a receiving threat in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger, catching about 38 passes a season for 370 yards, and was also known as a decent blocking tight end. If he is over his biceps injury, he could re-sign to get a full camp with the club.

What the Browns Should Do: There isn’t as much of a need for the Browns to have a blocking tight end as their third guy, because David Njoku is a solid blocker beyond his pass-catching skills. Although fans were intrigued by the signing of James last year, I want the team to find an undrafted tight end who they can develop a bit.

Let us know below whether or not the team should try to re-sign TE Jesse James.