The 2015 season has officially come to an end for Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, who was placed on injured reserve today by the team, according to a press release. Cleveland signed linebacker Jayson DiManche from its practice squad to replace Hawkins on the 53-man roster.
Hawkins, 29, has missed the Browns’ last four games due to a concussion, and hadn’t been expected to return to the field this season. In the eight games he played – and started – for Cleveland, he recorded 27 catches on 43 targets for 276 yards.
Because Hawkins was a restricted free agent when he signed an offer sheet with the Browns, the team will have him at a bargain price for the next two seasons. The front-loaded offer Cleveland made to discourage the Bengals from matching included cap hits of $5.8MM in 2014 and $5MM in 2015, but only $1MM in 2016 and $1.8MM in 2017, so the veteran wideout likely won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.