The Cleveland Browns are set to waive undrafted tight end Dae'Quan Wright, who could make an unprecedented return to college football
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 10: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dae'Quan Wright #45 catches the ball during the Philadelphia Eagles training camp on August 10th, 2026 at Jefferson Health Training Complex in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 10: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dae'Quan Wright #45 catches the ball during the Philadelphia Eagles training camp on August 10th, 2026 at Jefferson Health Training Complex in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Undrafted NFL tight end Dae'Quan Wright dedicated his summer to securing a spot on an NFL roster, but his career trajectory might take an unusual turn with a potentially historic return to the SEC.
Sources revealed on Sunday that the Cleveland Browns plan to release Wright, paving the way for a potentially groundbreaking comeback to college football with LSU if he goes unclaimed on waivers and satisfies eligibility requirements.
Should this materialize, the decision would catapult college football's quickly evolving eligibility rules into uncharted waters and spark complications for both the NCAA and the NFL. Additionally, 15 other athletes from the Class of 2022 received approval to pursue a comparable path.
Wright made history as the first active NFL player to officially enter the NCAA transfer portal while remaining under contract on Thursday. LSU — now under the leadership of Lane Kiffin, Wright's former coach at Ole Miss — has already secured an arrangement to bring him aboard if no NFL franchise claims him, per ESPN.
The tight end initially inked a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles before Cleveland scooped him up off waivers roughly 12 days ahead of his departure. Wright suited up for Cleveland's 31-7 preseason defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday but remained on the sidelines throughout.
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - OCTOBER 11: Dae'Quan Wright #8 of the Mississippi Rebels during the game against the Washington State Cougars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
(Image: Justin Ford, Getty Images)
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His potential comeback to NCAA competition became viable following a Louisiana court ruling that temporarily awarded an additional year of eligibility to select players from the 2022 recruiting class. For Wright's plan to succeed, he must repay every dollar he earned as an NFL player and completely sever his ties with the league before he can regain college eligibility under the court order.
He was slated to earn a base salary of $885,000 with the Browns this season.
The tight end previously inked a 3-year, $3.1 million non-guaranteed deal with Philadelphia, which included $50k guaranteed and a $25k bonus, before being released.
According to ESPN, Wright's return to LSU would be handled by his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln. Rosenhaus reportedly anticipated Wright would fail to make Cleveland's final roster cut.
The veteran NFL agent made this assessment drawing on 37 years of industry experience, having guided the careers of elite NFL talent including Jalen Carter, D.J. Moore, and Chris Olave.
A significant obstacle in Wright's path is that any NFL franchise has 24 hours to claim him off waivers once he's released. Currently, 16 NFL teams are dealing with injuries at the tight end position, with many of those setbacks occurring during the preseason.
Dallas Cowboys TE Princeton Fant is set to miss the entire 2026 season, though the organization already has four players at the position on their roster.
The Detroit Lions (Sam LaPorta), Green Bay Packers (Tucker Kraft), Indianapolis Colts (Tyler Warren), San Francisco 49ers (George Kittle), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Cade Otton) are all dealing with injured starting tight ends as NFL Week 1 draws closer to its September kickoff.