For Immediate Release
December 28, 2005

BROWNS SIGN TE JOHN OWENS

The Cleveland Browns have signed TE John Owens as a free agent, the club announced today.

Owens, 6-3 and 255 lbs., has played in 24 games, including nine starts during his NFL career with Detroit and Chicago.  Owens was originally a fifth-round draft choice by Detroit in 2002 and played in 15 games, including eight starts, with five receptions for 49 yards during his rookie season.  Owens played in seven games for the Lions in 2003 as a blocking tight end and played on special teams.  Owens split the 2004 season with Detroit and Chicago.

Games Played/Started:  2002 (15/8); 2003 (7/1); 2004 (2/0); 2005 (0/0).

Career Games:  24 games, 9 starts.

Postseason Games:  0 games, 0 starts.

Career Transactions:  Originally drafted by Detroit in the fifth round, 138^th overall, in the 2002 NFL Draft…Waived by Detroit on Oct. 23, 2004…Claimed by Chicago via waivers on Oct. 25, 2004…Traded by Chicago along with a 2006 conditional draft choice to Miami for LB Brendon Ayanbedejo on Aug. 29, 2005…Waived by Miami on Sept. 3, 2005…Signed by Cleveland as a free agent on Dec. 28, 2005.

Seasonal Reviews:
2005:  Began the year with Chicago and was traded by the Bears along with a 2006 conditional draft pick to Miami for LB Brendon Ayanbedejo on Aug. 29…Waived by Miami on Sept. 3…Signed by Cleveland as a free agent on Dec. 27.

2004:  Began the year with the Lions and was inactive for the first five regular season games…Waived by Detroit on Oct. 23, and claimed by Chicago…Played in two games for Chicago as a reserve tight end…Also played on special teams with 1 tackle.

2003:  Played in seven games, including one start for the Lions, mainly as a blocking tight end and on special teams…Was inactive for the club’s final nine regular season contests.

2002:  In his rookie season with Detroit, played in 15 games, including eight starts at tight end with 5 receptions for 49 yards (9.8 avg.), including a long of 13 yards…Started his first NFL game at Carolina on Sept. 15, when the Lions opened in a two-tight end formation…Added his first NFL reception for 5-yards at Minnesota on Oct. 13…Had a career-high 2 receptions for 19 yards vs. Chicago on Oct. 20…Inactive at Buffalo on Oct. 27, due to a shoulder injury…Returned to add a 12-yard reception vs. Dallas on Nov. 3…Caught a career-long 13-yard reception at Arizona on Dec. 8…Started three of the final four regular season contests at Arizona on Dec. 8, at Atlanta on Dec. 22 and vs. Minnesota on Dec. 29.

College:  Began and ended his four-year career at Notre Dame (1998-2001) as a tight end despite being shifted to defensive end for much of his junior campaign…Honored as a Super Sleeper Team selection by the National Sports Bureau as a senior in 2001, starting all but two games with catching six passes for 79 yards (13.2 avg.) and 1 TD…Lined up at right defensive end as a junior, recording 9 tackles in 12 contests, before moving back to tight end for the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oregon State…Appeared in nine games as a tight end in 1999 as a sophomore…Played in 11 games as a freshman, including the Gator Bowl vs. Georgia Tech.

Personal:  Earned three letters in football as a tight end and defensive end at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) High School while being rated the 95^th best prep player nationally by The Sporting News and 99^th best player by The Chicago Sun-Times and was USA Today honorable mention All-America selection…Two-time all-conference and Washington Post all-metro selection…Selected for Chesapeake Classic that matches football standouts from Maryland and Virginia…Three-year starter in basketball and all-league pick as senior averaging 12.7 points and 13.9 rebounds…Helped basketball team to three-year record of 92-13…Born Jan. 10, 1980 in Washington, D.C…Full name is John Wesley Owens…Majored in management information systems at Notre Dame.

OWEN'S SINGLE-GAME CAREER HIGHS
                                                             RECEPTIONS:    2 vs. Chicago 10/20/02
                                                    RECEIVING YARDS:    19 vs. Chicago 10/20/02
                                                        RECEIVING TD's:    0
                                                     LONG RECEPTION:    13 at Arizona 12/8/02

OWEN’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS
Year                                     Rec.                        Yards                    Average                     Long                          TD
2002 (Cle)                               5                             49                            9.8                           13                             0
2003 (Det.)                              0                              0                             0.0                            0                              0
2004 (Det./Chi.)                       0                              0                             0.0                            0                              0
2005 (Cle.)                              0                              0                             0.0                            0                              0
Career     5              49            9.8           13            0