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Daniel Oyefusi, ESPN
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday made multiple roster moves, including waiving wide receiver Kadarius Toney after a pair of costly blunders in the team’s 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Toney, who was signed from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of the matchup, was flagged 15 yards for taunting after catching a punt early in the fourth quarter with the Browns trailing 27-7. He later muffed a punt that the Steelers recovered. It’s unlikely he’ll return to the practice squad.
After the defeat, which officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention, coach Kevin Stefanski said the penalty would be “addressed.”
The Browns also placed cornerback Greg Newsome II on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, which ends his season. Stefanski said it’s the same hamstring that Newsome had surgery on last summer and forced him to begin training camp on the non-football injury list.
Cleveland also signed wide receivers Kaden Davis and Jaelen Gill, kicker Riley Patterson and offensive tackle Julian Pearl to the practice squad, and released defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour from the practice squad.
The Browns signing Patterson comes days after kicker Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals against Pittsburgh. Hopkins, who signed a three-year extension in July, leads the NFL with nine missed field goal attempts this season.
“We will work through this with Dustin,” Stefanski said Monday. “This is something that I know he can get through. We’ll get through it together. He’s a veteran. He’s been through a lot in his career already and this is something we’ll continue to work through.”
Patterson kicked for the Browns in three games last season, including their wild-card loss to the Houston Texans, after Hopkins sustained a hamstring injury.