Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 255 lbs |
| Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH |
| Age: 26 |
| School: Kentucky |
| Experience: 3 |
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Top Brenden Bates News
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Brenden Bates: Let go with injury settlement
The Browns waived Bates (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Wednesday.
Bates reverted to the Browns' injured reserve list Aug, 18. The tight end likely believes he can once again produce for an NFL roster or practice squad during the 2026 regular season, and negotiated an injury settlement. Bates has already cleared waivers and is now a free agent able to sign with any franchise once he's healthy.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Moved to IR
Bates (undisclosed) reverted to the Browns' injured reserve list Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Bates was waived with an injury designation Monday and ended up clearing waivers. The tight end's move to waivers and subsequent move to IR made room for the team to sign his 2026 replacement, Jermaine Terry. Bates will now spend the entirety of the 2026 season on injured reserve unless he is waived with an injury settlement.
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Brenden Bates: Waived by Browns
Bates (undisclosed) was waived with an injury designation Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The Browns brought in Jermaine Terry in a corresponding move to add more depth to the tight-end room. Bates, a third-year pro out of Kentucky, will now look to latch on with another team.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Signs ERFA tender
Bates signed his exclusive-rights free-agent tender with Cleveland on Monday.
Bates began last season with Houston before the Browns signed him off waivers in late October. The tight end out of Kentucky played in six contests with Cleveland, catching two of three targets for 25 yards. Bates should compete for a depth role next season, but while long-time starter David Njoku was released in March, Harold Fannin (groin) has a strong grip on the Browns' primary tight-end duties.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Receives ERFA tender
The Browns placed an exclusive rights free-agent tender on Bates on Wednesday.
Bates appeared in nine regular-season games with the Texans and Browns last season, logging four catches for 48 yards on five targets. He'll compete for a job at tight end this offseason.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Under team control
Bates caught four of five targets for 48 yards over a combined nine regular-season games for Houston and Cleveland in 2025.
Bates spent the first half of the season with the Texans before latching on with the Browns for the second half. While Cleveland often targeted its tight ends, most of those went to Harold Fannin (groin) and David Njoku (knee). Bates will become an exclusive rights free agent and can be brought back for one year at the league minimum.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: No injury designation
Bates logged a full practice Friday and carries no injury designation heading into Sunday's game against the Bengals.
Bates should garner some interest as both Harold Fannin (groin) and David Njoku (knee) having been ruled out for Week 18. Bates and Blake Whiteheart are poised to see more playing time, although practice-squad member Sal Cannella, who led Cleveland's tight ends in targets last week, could steal some thunder if added to the roster for the game.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Logs full practice Thursday
Bates (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
A shoulder injury limited Bates' practice participation Wednesday, but his full session Thursday puts him on track to play against the Bengals on Sunday. The second-year tight end has stepped into a more prominent role in the Browns' offense during the absence of David Njoku (knee/personal), and the former could see even more snaps in Week 18 if rookie Harold Fannin (groin) is unable to play.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Dealing with shoulder issue
Bates (shoulder) was limited in practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Bates managed an ankle issue earlier in December, but the shoulder injury appears to be something new. The second-year tight end has been seeing more offensive reps of late, logging 53 offensive snaps over the past two weeks and catching one of two targets for 19 yards while David Njoku (knee/personal) has been sidelined. Rookie tight end Harold Fannin (groin) didn't practice Wednesday, and Njoku remained a DNP as well, so Bates could have a path to even more work Week 18 against the Bengals if he's able to suit up.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Makes first catch for Cleveland
Bates caught his lone target for 19 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over Pittsburgh in Week 17.
After starting tight end Harold Fannin (groin) was removed from the game late in the first quarter and later ruled out, Bates and Cleveland's other backups got more involved. The reception was Bates' first since joining the Browns in late October. Fannin, who has been a regular on injury reports the last few weeks, is an important piece for the future. As such, the club may want to end his season early, which could lead to more opportunities for Bates, Sal Cannella and Blake Whiteheart in next week's regular-season finale against Cincinnati.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Ready to go Sunday
Bates (ankle) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Bears, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Bates was limited in practice both Wednesday and Thursday, but he was a full participant Friday. He is now ready to play Sunday against the Bears for the first time since Week 12 versus the Raiders. The 26-year-old has had minimal impact on offense when healthy this season, hauling in two receptions on two targets for 23 yards in five games played (three with the Texans and two with the Browns).
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Logs limited practice to begin week
Bates (ankle) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Bates has missed both of Cleveland's past two games due to an ankle injury. He didn't practice at all each of the previous two weeks, so his ability to log a limited session Wednesday suggests he's showing improvement. When healthy this season, Bates has had a minor role on offense, logging two catches on two targets for 23 yards across five contests (three with the Texans and two with the Browns).
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Missing more time
Bates (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Titans, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
The 26-year-old logged consecutive DNPs to begin the Browns' week of practice and is now in line to miss his second game in a row due to an ankle injury. While Bates is sidelined again Sunday, Cleveland's tight-end room will likely consist of Blake Whiteheart, David Njoku and Harold Fannin.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Misses practice Wednesday
Bates (ankle) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.
Bates missed last week's loss to the 49ers, and he's in danger of missing this Sunday's game versus the Titans unless he can return to the practice field by Friday. Even if Bates is able to play, he likely won't factor into the offensive gameplan because David Njoku (knee) is trending towards playing while Harold Fannin has the top spot locked up.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Out versus San Francisco
Bates (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bates was injured in last Sunday's win over the Raiders. A deep reserve at tight end, Bates has logged just 41 offensive snaps this season.
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Browns' Brenden Bates: Likely out for Week 13
Bates (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Per Jackson, the Kentucky product is likely out for Sunday's contest against the 49ers after sustaining an ankle injury in the Week 12 win over the Raiders. Bates has appeared in seven games for the Texans and Browns this season, failing to record an offensive stat across 70 total snaps (41 on offense, 29 on special teams).
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