D'Juan Hines BEREA, Ohio -- Despite having a couple of days off after their 21-17 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night, the Browns continue to tinker with the bottom of their roster. On Saturday, the Browns announced that they have signed linebacker D'Juan Hines to the active roster off the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. To make room on the roster, the team waived defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo. Hines (6-1, 235) originally signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in the spring and spent this offseason and training camp with the Chargers, but was waived and added to the club’s practice squad after final roster cuts. The rookie out of Houston registered 171 tackles, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups and an interception in 48 games as a Cougar. There's a possibility that James Burgess, who injured his knee, might miss some time after suffering an injury against the Jets. On Friday, Jackson said Burgess will be evaluated in a few days. Christian Kirksey has missed the last two games with ankle and shoulder injuries. The Browns drafted cornerback Howard Wilson from Houston in the fourth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but Wilson has spent his first two seasons on injured reserve with knee injuries. Odenigbo, a first-year player out of Northwestern, was claimed by the Browns via waivers from the Minnesota Vikings following final roster cuts this season. He was inactive all three of the Browns’ games this year. He was one of the players the Browns claimed on waivers after the final cuts, along with defensive linemen Carl Davis. They also traded with the New Orleans Saints to obtain defensive linemen Davaroe Lawrence. Odenigbo was originally a seventh-round draft choice of the Vikings (220th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent all of the 2017 season on the Vikings' practice squad. He was a first team All-Big Ten selections in college. Odenigbo is eligible to be signed to the Browns practice squad should he clear waivers. In order to make room for the three defensive linemen at the final roster cuts, the Browns released defensive linemen Jamie Meder, Carl Nassib and Nate Orchard. The Browns defensive linemen on the roster currently are Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah, Larry Ogunjobi, Trevon Coley, Chris Smith, Chad Thomas, Anthony Zettel, Lawrence and Davis. Daniel Ekuale and Brian Price are on the practice squad. Price was added on Friday to the practice squad, while defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson was released. Price (6-3, 322) entered the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the Green Bay Packers in 2016. He’s appeared in 10 career games with one start and nine tackles. This season, Price started Week 2 for the Oakland Raiders and registered one tackle after he was claimed by the team via waivers from the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 3. Currently, the Browns linebacker corps includes Jamie Collins, Joe Schobert, Christian Kirksey, James Burgess, rookie Genard Avery and Tanner Vallejo. Linebacker Brady Shelton is on the practice squad.<doc-sep>In a bit of a surprise move, the Browns have signed linebacker D’Juan Hines to the active 53-man roster. Hines has been on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. In the corresponding move, Cleveland waived DE Ifeadi Odenigbo. We’ve signed LB D'Juan Hines to the active roster off the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. To make room, we’ve waived DL Ifeadi Odenigbo. pic.twitter.com/9oftCfKZvp — Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 22, 2018 Hines is an inside linebacker by trade who has plied his way on the Chargers practice squad as an undrafted rookie free agent. At 6-2 and 224 pounds, he’s a lightweight who compensates with instincts and quickness. Hines showed very impressive athleticism at his pro day: 37.5-inch vertical jump, 6.78 3-cone drill, 10-foot-4 broad jump Of note, Hines was a four-time Academic All-American performer for the Cougars.<doc-sep>Today, the Browns plucked D’Juan Hines off of the Chargers practice squad. The Browns must be expecting some sort of contributions from Hines as they signed him to the active roster. Hines will likely play special teams for the Browns. Undrafted from the University of Houston, Hines spent the offseason program and training camp with the Chargers. He was cut three weeks ago and then signed to the practice squad. I’ve seen some people upset that the Chargers kept a roster spot for Nick Dzubnar instead of Hines and developing a young player. I get it. We know what Dzubnar is and that’s not an NFL quality player. He’s shown to be out of his depth in the few snaps that he’s played for the Chargers over the last couple years. Hines is unknown and you bet on his athleticism. On the other hand we are talking about players on the bottom of the roster that 95% of the time don’t ever really make an impact on your team. We will keep you updated once the Chargers add a player to their practice squad.<doc-sep>
The Cleveland Browns bolstered their linebacker depth by signing D’Juan Hines off the San Diego Chargers’ practice squad on Saturday. To make roster space, the team waived defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo. Hines, 24, is a 6-foot-1 and 235-pound linebacker who went undrafted and signed with the Chargers over the summer. He joined the team’s practice squad after being released during final roster cuts. Hines played at Houston where he was a solid presence for the Cougars defense. In 33 games over four years he recorded 171 total tackles—eight of which were for a loss—forced three fumbles, and had one interception. Cleveland is banged up at linebacker, so there’s a possibility Hines could see some actual game reps provided Chris Kirksey misses his third-consecutive game in Week 4. Backup James Burgess left the team’s Week 3 win over the Jets with a knee injury, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available against the Raiders. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Burgess is day-to-day with an MCL sprain, so Hines could be strictly an insurance policy. Odenigbo was claimed off waivers after being released by the Minnesota Vikings following final roster cuts. While he made the team’s 53-man roster, Odenigbo was not active for any of his three weeks with the team. Many had high hopes the former Northwestern Wildcat would provide some much-needed defensive line depth, but instead he fell victim to in-season NFL roster churn. It probably won’t take long for Odenigbo to catch on somewhere, and he presumably will not be making it through waivers. If he clears, there’s a chance he could stay with the Browns on their practice squad.