Cleveland was a busy football team on Saturday. The Browns made a series of roster moves to bolster the team in advance of Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Foremost among the moves is the official activation of safety Karl Joseph from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Joseph was a close contact of a positive test earlier in the week, and the veteran safety cleared protocols in time for the game.
There is also a new addition to the roster. The Browns signed offensive lineman Blake Hance from the New York Jets practice squad. Hance is in his second NFL season, though he has not yet played in a regular-season game. He spent time in his rookie season with Washington, where he played under Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan. He played tackle at Northwestern in college but has also spent time at guard in his NFL stops.
The Browns also elevated three players from the practice squad to the active roster. Offensive tackle Alex Taylor, LB Montrel Meander and offensive guard Cordel Igwuagwu were all elevated for the game. Igwuagwu was a standard elevation, while Taylor and Meander were both designated as COVID-19 replacement players.
