The Browns have signed former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year deal for the veteran linebacker.
Smith has 104 career games to his credit with several teams, though his most memorable moments came with the Seahawks. The Super Bowl XLVIII MVP moved on to the Raiders in 2015 and served as a two-year starter, but he didn’t necessarily impress. Later, he hooked on with the 49ers, but he was plagued by injuries over the course of the two-year deal. Last year, Smith spent time with the Jaguars and Cowboys, suiting up for four games in total.
In Cleveland, he’ll help fill-in for Mack Wilson, who suffered a severe knee injury last week. To make room for Smith, the Browns have dropped center Casey Dunn with an injury designation (foot). They’re at an even 80 players on the roster, enabling them to have the entire team practice at a single site between now and the start of the season.
Thornton, now 28, was a third-round draft pick of the Colts in 2013. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Thornton was a contributor, starting 37 total games and earning mostly positive grades — especially in the run game — from Pro Football Focus.
After spending the 2016 season on injured reserve, Thornton inked a one-year deal with the Falcons in May 2017, but announced his retirement just two months later. He ended that retirement earlier this year to play for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.
Ereck Flowers, who’d been filling in as Washington’s left tackle until Penn arrived, is penciled in as the club’s starting left guard. Despite Flowers’ run of failure in the NFL, it’s difficult to envision Thornton overtaking him for a starting job, but he could add depth to the Redskins’ line.