The Cleveland Browns had one of the NFL’s best defenses last season, leading the NFL with 270 yards allowed per game, nearly 20 yards fewer than any other team.
With just weeks leading up to the draft, the Browns are running out of cap space just like many other teams, but they have reportedly found enough money to bring in some secondary and special teams help.
According to the Browns’ official Twitter account, the Browns are signing veteran cornerback Justin Hardee to serve as a depth piece and upgrade their special teams.
Bringing @jhardee_19 back home to Cleveland!
» https://t.co/JuUlStBH1U pic.twitter.com/bfq2t82tqu
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 2, 2024
Hardee will now be joining his hometown team for his eighth season in the NFL after spending the last three years with the New York Jets and spending the first four years of his career with the New Orleans Saints.
Hardee has primarily served as a special teams player in his career on kick and punt return coverage where he has collected 63 of his 78 career tackles.
Cleveland lost CB Michael Ford to free agency, so there could be snaps available in the secondary if the coaching staff chooses to deploy Hardee that way.
The Browns have a little more cap space to allocate toward free agency than most teams, as they don’t have a first-round pick this year and won’t need to budget for it.
Hardee is a Cleveland native and graduated from Glenville High School and was signed to the NFL as an undrafted free agent after playing wide receiver in college.
Of his 116 career defensive snaps, 114 of them were in 2018 and 2019, which is when he had his lone career interception which he returned for 77 yards.
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