Browns sign defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. to one-year deal
The Browns are adding defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. on a one-year deal to help with their defensive line depth, a league source confirmed to the Beacon Journal late Wednesday night.
Orange and Brown Report’s Brad Stainbrook was the first to report.
Hurst, a former 2018 fifth-round draft pick of the Raiders out of the University of Michigan, did not play during the 2022 season due to a torn bicep he sustained on the fourth day of training camp with the San Francisco 49ers. He played two games, recording two tackles, for the 49ers in 2021 before suffering a season-ending calf injury.
Between 2018-20, Hurst played in 40 games for the Raiders, including 17 starts. He had 76 combined tackles in those three seasons, eight sacks, eight tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits.
Hurst also has one career interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
What Hurst provides is another depth piece as Browns general manager Andrew Berry tries to re-tool the defensive line room through free agency. The Browns officially announced the signings of former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson — one of the top defensive tackles on the free-agent market — and former Houston Texans defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo about an hour after the new league year began at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Those two deals had been finalized on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s negotiation window. The Browns also agreed to a three-year deal on Wednesday with former Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill.
The Browns have also re-signed two of their own free agents: center Ethan Pocic and linebacker Sione Takitaki. The deal with Takitaki, a one-year contract, has not yet been officially announced by the team.
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