Browns bringing back quarterback Kyle Lauletta amid COVID-19 crisis

With COVID-19 ripping through the Browns this week, quarterback Kyle Lauletta is on his way back to Cleveland.

The Browns are signing Lauletta off the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday, his agent, Mike McCartney, announced on Twitter, confirming a report by the Athletic’s Zac Jackson, who also tweeted Cleveland was working to sign free-agent Jake Dolegala as an emergency quarterback.

Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, and backup quarterback Case Keenum also tested positive for a breakthrough case of the virus Thursday.

Those developments have left third-string quarterback Nick Mullens positioned to start Saturday when the Browns (7-6) host the Las Vegas Raiders (6-7).

Unless Mayfield or Keenum test their way off the COVID-19 list under new protocols adopted Thursday by the NFL and NFL Players Association, Mullens and Lauletta would be set to serve as the top two quarterbacks for the Browns in a game they need to win to keep their playoff hopes viable.

The Browns have until 4 p.m. Friday to activate players off the COVID-19 list in time for them to be eligible to face the Raiders. They entered Friday with 21 players on the list, plus two coaches out with the virus, including head coach Kevin Stefanski.

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Lauletta joined the Browns when they signed him to their practice squad on Oct. 16, 2020. He spent all offseason and training camp with the team before it waived him Aug. 31 in roster cutdowns. The Jaguars signed him to their practice squad on Sept. 2.

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Lauletta appeared in all three 2021 preseason games with the Browns, completing 61.1% of his passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions for a rating of 85.1.

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A fourth-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 2018, Lauletta has appeared as a backup in two regular-season NFL games, both during his rookie season. The University of Richmond product spent the 2019 season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad and began the 2020 season on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad before being released in September and later picked up by the Browns.

Dolegala has never appeared in a regular-season NFL game. He entered the league in 2019 when he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Central Connecticut State. He has bounced around since then, joining the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins, who signed him to their practice squad Oct. 27 and cut him Nov. 18.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns bringing back quarterback Kyle Lauletta amid COVID-19 crisis

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