Dae’Quan Wright’s rookie season in the NFL might be over before it really started. The former Ole Miss tight end signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent after going unpicked in April, and he was on the roster for Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, though an injury that had already kept him out of practice ruled him out of playing.
He wrapped up his college career on a high note, catching 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns while helping the Rebels reach the College Football Playoff, with two of those scores coming in big spots, one in an SEC win over South Carolina and another in Ole Miss’s CFP semifinal loss to Miami.
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Now Wright’s football path is about to take an unusual turn.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the Browns intend to waive him, and if he goes unclaimed, Wright already has a deal lined up to play for LSU in 2026, according to his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln.
That would make him the first known player to go from the NFL back to college football, a route that has essentially never existed until now.
The opening for that move traces back to a broader legal fight playing out around the country. The NCAA changed its eligibility rules to let athletes who first enrolled after 2022 play up to five seasons, and that shift has pushed a number of outgoing seniors to pursue legal action for a similar extra year.
In Louisiana, eight players secured a temporary restraining order tied to that push, and by Thursday, all eight had entered the transfer portal chasing a fifth season. Wright’s situation now stands out as the most unusual result of that fight yet.
