After his 2021 season was cut short due to a torn Achilles, the Browns have interest in bringing back Takkarist McKinley.
According to Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports, McKinley is said to have “transformed his body and is on a mission to be an impact player this season.” It is also reported that there is mutual interest.
https://twitter.com/StainbrookNFL/status/1548032221461635073?s=20&t=Zl9YGnqry8g7VRyL12paAA
Can McKinley Live Up to the Hype?
Takkarist McKinley was drafted out of UCLA with the 26th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he hasn’t quite been what everyone was expecting. In his five years in the NFL, McKinley has 97 tackles, 20 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He hasn’t necessarily been bad, but expectations for him out of college were high.
While at UCLA, his best year was in 2016. McKinley put up 61 tackles, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He was also a great player with both pass rush and run defense.
Here are some of his highlights in that 2016 season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOjRzOjsDg8
Could Takkarist McKinley Get a Role as a Starter?
Even though McKinley might be determined to be an impact player for whoever he plays for, he probably won’t be a starter with the Browns. With Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney as edge rushers, he probably will only be a rotational piece.
The Browns need two more players to fill out their 90-man roster, so McKinley can be one of them. We can probably assume that rookie Perrion Winfrey will be one of the last two to sign, so there will be a spot left for McKinley if the Browns want to bring him back. The only thing the Browns should really consider is a defensive tackle. Going after another receiver could be good, but they have a lot of young guys that they’ll want to play.
So, with one roster spot left after Perrion Winfrey, Takkarist McKinley could be back in Cleveland very soon.