Cleveland Browns bring back Maurice Hurst II as Jordan Kunaszyk goes on injured reserve

CLEVELAND — Maurice Hurst II didn't stay away from the Browns too long.

The defensive tackle, who had his contract terminated by the team on Tuesday, was re-signed by the Browns on Thursday. The move, which had been expected, was made after linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason finale.

Hurst was one a several defensive linemen the Browns signed the first week of free agency in March. He had six combined tackles, including two solo, as well as 1.5 sacks during the preseason.

"I think he did a really nice job just going back all the way to the spring to the summer, the preseason games," head coach Kevin Stefanski said following Thursday's practice at the stadium. "He acquitted himself well in all those reps that he got. A veteran like you mentioned, knows this game, knows how to operate in this scheme. So excited to have him."

A former 2018 fifth-round draft pick of the Raiders out of the University of Michigan, Hurst 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.

Kunaszyk's 2023 season starts the way his 2022 ended, with the linebacker on injured reserve. He will be eligible to return after four games, which means the first game in which he could potentially play is Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers because of the Browns' Week 5 bye.

A year ago, the linebacker missed the final two games with a hand injury that landed him on injured reserve. Before that, Kunaszyk was one of the better rags-to-riches stories on the Browns, having started the season on injured reserve before starting two games and finishing with 22 tackles and a forced fumble in 15 games played.

Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., Browns restructure contract

Add another name to the list of Browns players who have restructured their contracts. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., a league source confirmed to the Beacon Journal, is the fourth player this month to alter his deal to help free up more cap space.

ESPN's Field Yates was the first to report.

Wills, who is in the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract, converted $2.286 million of his base salary for this season into a signing bonus. They also added three void years to the back end of the deal.

"In terms of our strategy when it comes either player acquisition or contract management, we're very thorough, diligent and aggressive," assistant general manager/vice president of football operations Catherine Raiche said Thursday. "And I think for us it's about creating flexibility so that we can do what we want to do, operate at any point in time."

The Browns picked up Wills' fifth-year option back in May. He's slated to make $14.175 million next year in the last year of the deal.

Already in August, left guard Joel Bitonio, defensive end Myles Garrett and tight end David Njoku all have reworked their deals to free up space. The Browns reportedly now are up to nearly $48 million is space for this season.

"Everyone has their own strategy," Raiche said when asked if the Browns were more aggressive than others in restructuring. "I can't really comment on how they go about it. I just know that we try to find ways to get an edge wherever we can find one."

Defensive end Alex Wright back on the field after surgery

Defensive end Alex Wright was back on the field Thursday as the Browns went through an abbreviated practice at the stadium. The second-year pro underwent surgery on his knee on Aug. 8 and had been sidelined since then.

"Yeah, he looks good," Stefanski said. "It's hard to say. I mean, he's got to continue to progress and we'll see how it goes into Monday of next week."

Wright sustained the injury while playing in the Hall of Fame Game against the New York Jets on Aug. 3 in Canton. He was one of two second-year ends for the Browns who sustained knee injuries that required surgery on Aug. 8, the other being Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas, who is now on the Browns practice squad, was working to the side Thursday with a trainer.

Browns will 'follow the protocol' regardless of number of Denzel Ward concussions

Cornerback Denzel Ward remains out while in concussion protocol. Raiche was asked if the organization had to approach Ward's situation differently than others due to the fact it's his fourth known concussion since he joined the league in 2018.

"From a medical standpoint, I'm not going to comment on anything specific," Raiche said. "All I can say is that our medical team follows the protocols that need to be followed regardless if it's one, four six, there's a protocol and you follow it."

P.J. Walker expected to be with Browns on Monday

Thursday was the final workday of the week for the Browns, who now get three days off. They'll return to facility in Berea on Monday to start game-week preparations for the Sept. 10 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

One player who is expected to be in the building then is P.J. Walker. Walker, who was with the Chicago Bears in training camp, was signed to the Browns' practice squad on Wednesday as the team's third quarterback.

However, Walker is the only healthy player on either the active roster or practice squad who was not present on Thursday. Stefanski said after practice that the quarterback was expected to be there in time for game week, where he'll join Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the position group.

Walker is officially in his fourth season, but saw his 15 games of action during a stint with the Carolina Panthers from 2020-22. He started seven games for the Panthers, completing 131-of-228 passes for 1,461 yards and five touchdowns.

"I think we were just looking to complete that room and P.J. just fits really well what we were looking to add," Raiche said. "And I think, yeah, he can only help with his experience, not just in the NFL, but even in the XFL. I think that's going to be a nice breadth of experience that we'll find."

Dustin Hopkins gets picture-perfect first day on lakefront

Newly-acquired Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins spoke on Wednesday about the "notorious" reputation Cleveland has as an environment for kickers. That would be difficult to prove on Thursday, his first day on the lakefront with his new team.

The skies were without a cloud in them, save for the occasional exhaust trail left by one of the jets flying over the stadium preparing for the weekend's air show. There was barely any wind, and the temperatures were in the high 60s.

"It's beautiful out here," Stefanski said. "Well, I mean, that's honestly, that's our place in the lake. We can get anything out here. That's why we love it. We happen to get a beautiful day today. I know next week's going to be hot. Probably cool down later in the week, but you have to be ready for every element when you're playing on the lake like we are."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Maurice Hurst II re-signed by Browns as Jordan Kunaszyk lands on IR