Travis Kelce #87 and Michael Burton #45 of the Kansas City Chiefs. Burton visited the Cleveland Browns this week.
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Travis Kelce #87 and Michael Burton #45 of the Kansas City Chiefs. Burton visited the Cleveland Browns this week.
While most of the league has turned up its nose at the fullback position, for new Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken, there’s still some value there. In his three seasons as the offensive coordinator with John Harbaugh in Baltimore, the Ravens had one of the better and more active fullbacks in the league–longtime blocking star Patrick Ricard. As he remakes the Browns’ offense and likely puts more emphasis on running and blocking, it seems Monken might want to bring the fullback back to the Browns, too.
The Browns have used fullback, but generally as a gimmick, by bringing offensive linemen or defensive players into the backfield. The last real Browns fullback was Andy Janovich, and that was 2021.
Monken may have given an indication that he’d like the Browns to get themselves a proper fullback–only about a third of teams use them–this week when the team had an official free-agent visit from Michael Burton, a 34-year-old veteran who missed last season with a hamstring injury.
Michael Burton Won a Super Bowl With Chiefs
The meeting showed up in the NFL transaction wire, and was noted on Twitter/X by Aaron Wilson, who wrote: “#Browns hosted Michael Burton for a visit.”
Burton has had a lengthy career, having been drafted by the Lions in 2015 in the fifth round. At 6-feet, 247 pounds, he began his career as a tight end, but transitioned to fullback with Detroit. He bounced from Washington, to Chicago to New Orleans, before he signed with the Chiefs in 2021.
He appeared in all 33 games for Kansas City as a blocker and a special-teams player, and helped the Chiefs to the 2022 Super Bowl championship.
Burton was with the Broncos for the last two seasons, but did not play because of the injury in 2025. In all, Burton is a very good blocker who could help clear paths for Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, but has just 42 career carries, for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Browns Valuing Special Teams Experience
While he would be a notable addition to the running back room, Burton is also an experienced and valuable special teams player, and the Browns have made clear this offseason–with additions like Jack Stoll and Tylan Wallace–that they’re valuing experience in special teams in free agency.
New special teams coordinator Byron Storer said that the Browns will try to improve the group that was here last season, but that veteran additions would be made, too.
Said Storer: “It’s about building a really strong foundation of techniques and fundamentals. Like, we’re going to master the basics. We’re going to be fundamentally and technically sound, and then we’ll build from there. So it goes by phase now. We’ll start with coverage, and we’ll drill that down, and then we’ll go to punt protection, drill that down, return phases, drill that down. …
“But in terms of the players, I believe, like when I went through the interview process, I got fired up about the players that we have here. And then we’re going to, obviously going to add more as we go through free agency and in the draft.”