Summary:
- Browns are waiving Dae’Quan Wright, who plans to go back to college for the 2026 season provided he clears waivers.
- Wright could become the first player to return to college after signing with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
- His case follows legal challenges over new NCAA eligibility rules allowing some athletes an additional college season.
The Cleveland Browns are waiving tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who has an agreement in place to return to college football and play for LSU during the 2026 season if he clears waivers, according to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln.
Wright could make history as the first player to secure an agreement to return to college football after signing with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
The 23-year-old initially signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2026 NFL draft before being claimed off waivers by Cleveland on Aug. 11. He did not appear in either of the Browns’ first two preseason games.
Wright has also missed more than a week of practice because of an injury, although he dressed for Cleveland’s preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Browns coach Todd Monken confirmed that Wright had been sidelined because of the injury.
His planned return to college football became possible after a complicated legal battle over NCAA eligibility.
Wright officially entered the transfer portal Wednesday, August 19, after he and a group of other athletes involved in a lawsuit in Louisiana received a temporary restraining order allowing them to return to college for an additional season.
Wright’s college eligibility had officially expired after the 2025 season.
He graduated from high school in 2022 and was therefore not initially covered by the NCAA’s recently introduced eligibility policy, which gives most Division I athletes five years of eligibility over a five-year period beginning next season.
The legal challenge has produced conflicting developments. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay Friday, August 21, reversing a federal judge’s decision that had allowed athletes who began college during the 2022-23 academic year and played four consecutive seasons to return for a fifth year.
However, that ruling did not eliminate the individual cases of athletes who had already obtained temporary restraining orders from state courts allowing them to play another season.
Wright’s situation has also created an unusual connection between the NFL and LSU. He played under first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Wright enjoyed his strongest college campaign last season, recording 39 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns for the Rebels.
Monken acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding Wright after Saturday’s preseason game.
“I don’t even know what to say” Monken said when asked about the situation.
The Browns’ decision to waive Dae’Quan Wright gives him a path back to college football, provided he clears waivers and completes the necessary steps to join LSU.
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