Player News
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Ika signed with the Browns' practice squad Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The 2023 third-round pick appears to be past his foot injury and is back with the Browns after failing to make Cleveland's initial 53-man roster in late August. Ika appeared in four regular-season games with the Browns during his rookie season, playing 95 defensive snaps and logging just one pass defended.
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Ika (foot) did not appear on the Browns' injury report Wednesday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports. Ika will likely make his NFL debut Sunday versus the Titans after he missed the first two contests of 2023 with a foot injury. The defensive lineman was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft in April and he will operate as a reserve option behind Dalvin Tomlinson and Jordan Elliott against Tennessee.
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The Browns selected Ika in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 98th overall. Ika (6-foot-3, 335 pound) tested horrifically at the combine (5.39-second 40, 7.9-second three-cone drill) but looks much more athletic on the field. The Baylor product (LSU transfer) has a two-gap nose tackle build, and normally players who look like him suffer from some combination of lethargy, inflexibility, or poor balance. None of those apply to Ika, who simply seems to have better functional athleticism than his testing would indicate. The Browns run defense has been an issue for some time, and Ika could therefore be a pivotal addition. Even if he's doing his job, though, Ika is unlikely to emerge as an IDP factor.
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| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK |
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| 8 | 10/27 | @Cincinnati | 28 |
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| 10 | 11/10 | @Dallas | 23 |
| 11 | 11/14 | Washington | 20 |
| 12 | 11/24 | @Los Angeles | 14 |
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| 14 | 12/08 | Carolina | 3 |
| 15 | 12/15 | Pittsburgh | 1 |
| 16 | 12/22 | @Washington | 20 |
| 17 | 12/29 | Dallas | 23 |
| 18 | 01/05 | New York | 13 |