Tracking former Browns still playing in the NFL’s conference championship round
A year ago, the Cleveland Browns just missed out on advancing to the AFC Championship game. This year didn’t turn out nearly as well for a variety of factors, unfortunately.
There are still a few former Browns players still alive in the NFL’s final four this weekend. Some play key roles for the teams competing to advance to Super Bowl LVI, while others likely won’t see the field.
Here are the ex-Browns on the remaining four teams battling in the AFC and NFC Championship games
The Bengals will be without the one former Browns player who played any sort of role for the team in 2021. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi injured his foot in Cincinnati’s wild-card win over the Las Vegas Raiders and is now on injured reserve. He was a critical starter for the Bengals defensive line in his first season away from Cleveland, bagging a career-high seven sacks.
There is one ex-Browns player on the Bengals’ practice squad: linebacker Austin Calitro, who was on the Browns practice squad in 2017 and part of the 2018 offseason.
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It’s not quite the extensive impact that former Cleveland players had in 2020 on the Chiefs, but there’s still some Browns flavor in Kansas City.
Starting right tackle Andrew Wylie never played for the Browns, but he was on the practice squad in 2017. Wylie bounced around a bit before emerging as a starter for Kansas City.
There are several ex-Browns on the Chiefs practice squad. Two of them played for the Browns in 2021, too: DE Joe Jackson and DT Andrew Billings. Roderick Johnson, a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2017, is the top offensive tackle on the practice squad.
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There are two starters on the Rams offense with prominent Cleveland Browns ties. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. quickly joined the Rams after the Browns dumped him in the midst of a disappointing tenure in Cleveland. Beckham has caught six touchdowns in 10 games for the Rams, including one in their two playoff victories.
Right guard Austin Corbett was not a hit as a second-round pick in 2018 for Cleveland, but he’s found a home as a starter with the Rams. The Browns traded Corbett to L.A. in the 2019 season for a draft pick that became safety Richard LeCounte.
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There isn’t much representation for the former Browns on the 49ers. Cornerback K’Waun Williams is the only ex-Cleveland player on the active roster. As he did in Cleveland in 2014-2015, Williams is the nickel corner for the 49ers and a pretty successful one, too.
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