The Cleveland Browns placed cornerback Greg Newsome II on injured reserve, which ends his season, and released wide receiver Kadarius Toney as part of several roster changes on Tuesday.
Newsome hurt his hamstring while on the punt return team during the last few minutes of the 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. According to Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, it’s the same hamstring that needed surgery in the offseason and kept Newsome from participating in training camp.
Newsome, 24, has played in all 13 games for the Browns (3-10) this season, starting three of them. He has 27 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception. The injured reserve status means Newsome must miss at least four games, and the Browns have four regular-season games left with no chance of making the playoffs.
The Browns picked Newsome 26th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Over his career, he has made 155 tackles, defended 34 passes, intercepted three passes (including one returned for a touchdown), and recorded one sack in 54 games (42 starts).
Toney, 25, joined the Browns on September 9 and moved between the practice squad and the active roster. He recorded no catches on one target and had two rushing attempts for a loss of 4 yards in three games.
In the game against Pittsburgh, Toney returned four punts for 44 yards, but he was penalized for taunting on a fair catch. He also muffed a punt on the same play where Newsome was injured. The Steelers recovered the ball and ran out the clock.
Toney was drafted 20th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He has 82 career receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns in 35 regular-season games (10 starts) with the Giants (2021-2022), Kansas City Chiefs (2022-2023), and Browns.
He also has seven catches for 50 yards and one touchdown in three playoff games for the Chiefs during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2022. Kansas City released him on August 27.
On Tuesday, the Browns also signed kicker Riley Patterson, offensive tackle Julian Pearl, and wide receivers Kaden Davis and Jaelen Gill to the practice squad. Defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour was released from the practice squad.
