The Cleveland Browns are waiving tight end Dae'Quan Wright, who has an agreement in place for the 2026 season to play for LSU if he clears waivers, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Wright is believed to be the first player to have an agreement to return to play in college after signing with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the draft and then was claimed on waivers by the Browns on Aug. 11.
He didn't appear in either of Cleveland's first two preseason games. Wright hasn't practiced in more than a week, but he dressed for the Browns' second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Browns coach Todd Monken said Wright has been sidelined because of an injury.
On Wednesday, Wright officially entered the transfer portal after he and a group of athletes who filed a lawsuit in Louisiana were granted a temporary restraining order to return to college for one more season.
"Man, isn't this s--- crazy?" Monken said when asked about Wright's situation Saturday. "I don't even know what to say.
"I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out to me a week ago; now I know. I didn't call him back. I guess I should have."
Wright played for Kiffin, the first-year LSU coach, at Ole Miss in 2024 and 2025. Last season, he had 39 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns for the Rebels.
Wright, who graduated from high school in 2022 and whose college eligibility ended last season, had filed a lawsuit because he was not included in the NCAA's new rule -- less than 2 months old -- that grants most Division I athletes five years of eligibility over five years but doesn't take effect until next season.
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay Friday morning in an order reversing the federal judge's decision that had opened the door for all athletes who started college in the 2022-23 academic year and played for four consecutive seasons to return for a fifth season. But that stay does not wipe out the cases of dozens of athletes who have successfully petitioned for restraining orders to play a fifth season in state courts around the country.
ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Dan Murphy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
