Browns Place RB Kareem Hunt & LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah On IR, Promote RB John Kelly

The Cleveland Browns announced on Tuesday they have placed RB Kareem Hunt and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on injured reserve. 

We have placed Kareem Hunt and JOK on injured reserve and signed RB John Kelly.

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 19, 2021

Both players must now miss a minimum of three games but are expected to be out a little bit longer, in the range of 4-6 weeks each with calf and ankle injuries respectively. 

The Browns also promoted RB John Kelly from the practice squad to give the team additional depth at running back and restored WR Ja’Marcus Bradley from the practice squad injured list. 

Hunt, 25, is a former third-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2017. He was in the second year of his four-year, $3.263-million contract and set to make base salaries of $555,000 and $645,000 over the next two years of the agreement when the Chiefs waived him in December following video of him kicking a woman.

The Browns elected to sign Hunt to a one-year contract worth over $1 million, not factoring in a suspension. Hunt forfeited $303,529 of his $645,000 base salary with his eight-game suspension, with a chance to earn $200,000 in per-game roster bonuses upon return.

Hunt re-signed with Cleveland as a restricted free agent heading into 2020. He was set to make $3.27 million under the second-round tender before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2021 when he signed a two-year, $13.5 million extension before the start of the season.

In 2021, Hunt has appeared in six games for the Browns, logging 69 carries for 361 yards and five touchdowns. He has also caught 20 of 24 targets for 161 yards.

Owusu-Koramoah, 21, was a two-year starter at Notre Dame. He was a first-team All-American as a redshirt junior and won the Butkus Award. 

The Browns drafted Owusu-Koromoah with pick No. 52 overall in the second round in the 2021 NFL Draft. Owusu-Koramoah signed a four-year deal worth $6,476,215 million and a $2,069,975 signing bonus.

In 2021, Owusu-Koramoah has appeared in six games and recorded 28 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble and four pass defenses. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 3 linebacker out of 83 qualifying players.