Finding a steady returner has been a struggle for the Browns in recent years.
During the 2022 offseason, general manager Andrew Berry made a concerted effort to address that role bu inking a three-year deal with speedster, Jakeem Grant Sr. Then, just a couple weeks into training camp, Grant ruptured his Achillies, ending his season before it even began.
Disaster struck Grant again this summer, as the Texas Tech product was carted off during the Browns final preseason game after injuring his patellar tendon. It was another season-ender for Grant.
It's been a tough break for Grant and a major void the Browns have looked to fill on the fly in back-to-back years. From the now traded Donovan Peoples-Jones, running backs Jerome Ford and even wide receiver Elijah Moore, Cleveland has tried their damnedest to find consistent production in the return game with varying results.
From the ashes has emerged wide receiver James Proche II, previously of the Baltimore Ravens. The fourth-year man spent a week on the Browns practice squad before being signed to the active roster on Tuesday. Even in his short time with the team, he's caught the right people's attention.
"James has done a good job the last couple weeks that he's been here," special teams coach Bubba Ventrone said on Thursday. "I liked him coming out of school. Thought he did a good job when he was in Baltimore. Very good judgment. Good hands. Smart kid. Very hard worker, detailed. And is a guy who's gonna get downhill."
Proche's promotion comes after returning six punts against the Cardinals on this past week, for 55 yards. Within that 55 yards was a notable 17-yarder in the first quarter, that helped give the Browns some breathing room away from their own end zone. That specific return set the stage for Cleveland's first scoring drive of the game as well.
As the Browns front office can attest, finding a solid returner is hard to do. Returning punts is an innate skill that not everybody can do. There's comfort for Ventrone in feeling like they have that role shored up.
"When it comes to punt return vs. kick return you don't see as many guys that are able to track and judge the ball," Ventrone explained. "Have the hands to be able to catch a punt – It's not an easy thing to do. There's a lot of variation on it when the balls coming off the foot. There's really only a handful of those guys on each team that can do it. Fortunately, we have a good one right now."
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