Cleveland Browns wasted no time in signing a veteran free agent right after the 2026 NFL Draft with the writing on the wall

Burton was a fifth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. The 6-foot, 240-pound tight end has played in 147 games with six different teams. Burton spent two seasons with the Lions and the Chicago Bears each before he had one-year stays with Washington and New Orleans. In 2021 and 2022, Burton was with the Kansas City Chiefs, then the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos. 

Since it’s a role the Browns have been liking to fill all offseason, it seems like you can probably pencil Burton in for a roster spot. From there, it would be interesting to see if the Browns kept four tight ends with Harold Fannin Jr. and fifth-round rookie Joe Royer as the only ones I’d pencil in as locks to be on the 53-man roster. Jack Stoll is a veteran blocking tight end, and Carsen Ryan is the seventh-round pick from BYU who will be pushing for a roster spot. 

With phase two of voluntary OTAs this week, we’ll see if Burton is with the team, as the Browns have a new veteran addition.