Browns sign former basketball player Marcus Santos-Silva to play TE

The last time sports fans saw Marcus Santos-Silva in action, he was serving as a forward for the Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball program. 

Santos-Silva will be making quite a career change this spring. 

On Monday afternoon, the NFL's Cleveland Browns announced they've signed Santos-Silva to play as a tight end. As noted by Grant Gordon of the league's website, Santos-Silva was listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds by Texas Tech, by the Browns' story has him at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds. Per ESPN stats, he averaged 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season.

According to Riley Gates of 247Sports, Santos-Silva previously signed with The Sports & Entertainment Group, and that agency announced last Monday he was ditching basketball and instead pursuing a career playing pro football.

Back in March, the Browns used the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku for the 2022 season. According to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, Santos-Silva will compete for a roster spot with Harrison Bryant, Nick Guggemos, Miller Forristall, and whoever else receives an opportunity from the Browns this spring or summer. 

Perhaps new Cleveland starting quarterback Deshaun Watson will help Santos-Silva complete a relatively easy transition to his new role over the next several months.