Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright was waived on Sunday, clearing the way for the former Ole Miss standout to join Lane Kiffin’s LSU squad for the 2026 season. Wright is believed to be the first active NFL player to utilize a temporary restraining order from a Louisiana court to return to college football.
The boundary between professional and collegiate football shifted dramatically this week when tight end Dae’Quan Wright entered the NCAA transfer portal while still bound to an NFL roster. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cleveland Browns officially waived the rookie tight end, who has an agreement in place to sign with LSU if he clears NFL waivers.
Wright spent the summer in Cleveland after going undrafted in April and initially signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was later claimed off waivers by the Browns on August 11, but he did not appear in either of the team’s first two preseason games. While he dressed for Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, he took no snaps.
The Court Ruling That Opened the Portal
Wright’s jump from the NFL back to the collegiate ranks is the direct result of a legal challenge to NCAA rules. The Associated Press noted that Wright was among a group of 33 athletes—including 16 football players—who filed a lawsuit in a Louisiana court demanding a fifth year of collegiate eligibility. A Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing these athletes to return to college, creating a rare one-week window for them to enter the transfer portal.
The legal dispute stems from the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility model, which failed to grandfather in players who started their college careers in the 2022–23 academic year. Plaintiffs argued that athletes who lost or finished their eligibility under older timelines were wronged by the exclusion. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin defended the players’ actions to reporters on Monday.
“Through (players) winning injunctions and entry into the portal, they are available to recruit. Ourselves and many places around the country are recruiting them. … Because of the rulings, they are going to play for you or someone else. We made the decision to recruit them. It’s wrong to be critical of these kids. They were granted a fifth year and a judge said they were wronged. … These players should have been told that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year. Had they known that, they would have stayed (and not signed pro contracts). You may end up having hundreds of athletes told they have a fifth year. It’s a unique circumstance.”
Lane Kiffin, LSU head coach
Attorneys for the plaintiffs indicated that returning to school requires athletes to terminate their professional contracts and repay any earnings received from NFL teams or agents. For Wright, whose representation includes agent Drew Rosenhaus, clearing waivers removes the final procedural roadblock to joining the Tigers in Baton Rouge.
Coaches React to an Unusual Roster Turnover
The sudden departure caught the Browns organization off guard, leading to a candid response from Cleveland head coach Todd Monken after the team’s preseason loss to Buffalo. Monken told reporters about the bizarre timing and communication surrounding the tight end’s medical status and portal entry.
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“Man, ain’t this s*** crazy? I mean I don’t even know what to say. As far as I know, he’s had a medical issue that wasn’t allowing him to practice. And that’s a medical issue, it’s nothing to do with me. Then he was cleared, so we dressed him just in case we had to have him, but when you don’t rep, it’s hard to put him on the field. I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago, now I know. S***, I didn’t know, now I know. I didn’t call him back, guess I should’ve.”
Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns head coach
Wright’s collegiate resume includes two seasons at Virginia Tech from 2022 to 2023, followed by two seasons playing under Kiffin at Ole Miss in 2024 and 2025. Last year, Wright played in 15 games for the Rebels under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., hauling in 39 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns. Over four total collegiate seasons, he accumulated 1,603 receiving yards.
Conference Hurdles and Remaining Uncertainty
Though Wright is positioned to join an LSU team that opens its season September 5 against Clemson, administrative hurdles remain across the broader college sports landscape. The NCAA continues to fight eligibility restorations and recently secured a stay from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in a separate Colorado case, though state-court temporary restraining orders remain active.
Furthermore, Wright faces potential friction within his own conference. The Southeastern Conference maintains strict rules prohibiting intraconference transfers outside of a designated January window. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey distributed a reminder to member institutions regarding compliance protocols, leaving open questions about how conference guidelines will interact with state-court orders.
If cleared by waivers and conference administrators, Wright joins a group of former professional players utilizing the legal system to resume their college careers, alongside former Ole Miss teammate Zxavian Harris and former LSU and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Jack Pyburn.
