Cleveland Browns: Malik McDowell comeback season is on

The Cleveland Browns took a shot on former second-round pick Malik McDowell in May, and he has played his way to a 53-man roster spot.

The Seattle Seahawks once spent the 35th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft on Michigan State defensive lineman Malik McDowell, a fascinating physical specimen at 6-foot-6 and nearly 300 pounds. With freakish 35-inch arms and 4.85 speed in the 40-yard dash, McDowell was expected to make an early impact in the NFL, but his career still has yet to take off.

Before his rookie training camp, the former Spartans star was involved in an ATV accident and subsequently did not report to Seahawks camp. After he finally reported, he was placed on the non-football injury list. He was arrested twice in a span of three months late in 2017 with a DUI in September and a disorderly conduct charge in December.

Needless to say, things got off to a horrible start for McDowell in Seattle, not too dissimilar to what Isaiah Wilson recently went through with the Tennessee Titans.

McDowell never played a snap with Seattle and was barely with the team for a year, getting waived in July of 2018 with the non-football injury designation.

He was arrested twice again in 2019 and the Seahawks came after his near $800,000 signing bonus, which is understandable considering they basically wasted a second-round pick on the guy. He was suspended two games by the NFL for his off-field incidents and was sentenced to 11 months in prison in November 2019.

With all of the dust settled, McDowell began working out for NFL teams again in 2020 and wound up getting a gig with the Cleveland Browns in May 2021.

It was pretty shocking to see his name pop up again, quite frankly, and a little surprising that any NFL team felt the juice was worth the squeeze.

Because of McDowell’s off-field issues, it’s difficult to say that his comeback to the league is any sort of “feel-good” story, but it’s definitely interesting, to say the least.

He has been absolutely balling out for the Cleveland Browns.

Not only has he worked his way onto the Browns’ 53-man roster, but McDowell has played his way into the team’s rotation on the defensive line.

There’s no doubt that McDowell was a borderline first-round player coming out of Michigan State. You would think after all that has happened in the last four years that his ability may have dwindled a bit, but it’s clear that there’s still something in the tank.

The Cleveland Browns may have a gem on their hands and like I said, even if this isn’t exactly a feel-good story, it would be great to see McDowell put his act together and do what he’s so clearly gifted at.

His raw power was on display in preseason play for the Cleveland Browns and the combination of that raw power with his elite quickness and speed can be a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen.

Hopefully, this is the start of something great for McDowell. He’s not exactly a “rookie” but this is the first offseason, training camp, and preseason he’s ever competed in as an NFL player.

His story is worth monitoring as the NFL season rolls along.