The Cleveland Browns added a hometown player to their special teams unit.
On Tuesday, the Browns signed Justin Hardee to an unspecified contract. The Cleveland native played at Glenville High School before going to Illinois and the NFL.
Hardee spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets, where he played 44 games on special teams. He earned a 2022 Pro Bowl invite with 14 tackles and a forced fumble.
Formerly a wide receiver, Hardee registered 72 catches for 841 yards in four seasons at Illinois. The undrafted free agent started his NFL career as a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints.
Hardee returned his only interception for 77 yards and collected a career-high 19 tackles in 2018, but he allowed completions on 11 of 14 targets in coverage. He’s only played two snaps on defense in the last four seasons.
Yet Hardee has carved out a meaningful role elsewhere. The Jets finished third in Rick Gosselin’s 2023 special teams rankings.
The 30-year-old will join Cleveland’s special teams unit after an 11-6 season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Houston Texans. After the Jets suffered a 37-20 loss to the Browns in Week 17, Hardee told Joe Flacco to “bring my city a ‘ship.”
While the Browns will turn back to Deshaun Watson under center, Hardee can now help lead the Browns to their first Super Bowl title next season.