Finding A Home

Last week, members of the Cleveland Browns joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to package meals for local shelters.

The activity was captured in photographs that were posted to the NFL team’s website. Among the players lending a hand was Stephen Carlson, an undrafted rookie free agent tight end. One of the images showed him with a smile on his face. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, it was hardly a surprise that Carlson was in the middle of it all. Lending a hand has been part of his modus operandi his entire life.

As it has turned out, he has been a big help to the Browns on the field as well, with his role expanding virtually every game.

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to play a little bit more every week,” Carlson said Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve been showing the coaches I can do exactly what they’re asking of me and maybe even more. I think it’s just a bit of building trust. You know, (I’m) the rookie undrafted guy who hasn’t really played the position before. … I think everyone was a little unsure what I could do.”

Not anymore.

On the practice squad for the first two months, Carlson was activated to the 53-man roster for Cleveland’s game in Denver on Nov. 3. Eleven days later, he made his presence known in prime time on a Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The opponent was the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.

Facing a third-and-goal from the 8-yard line in the fourth quarter, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield dropped back to pass, but couldn’t immediately find an open receiver, which forced him to scramble. Running out of options, he launched a laser into the back of the end zone. The only Brown jersey in the vicinity was No. 89, Carlson. The problem was Pittsburgh linebacker Mark Baron was in tight coverage, his back to Mayfield.

“I think I’m a pretty big target,” the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Carlson said. “I had one-on-one coverage so it was a nice opportunity for Baker to throw one up and see what happens.”

What happened was something pretty special for Carlson, who leaped high, reached over Baron, caught the ball and landed with both feet inbounds for the touchdown. It was his first career reception.

“I appreciate him having trust in me,” Carlson said of Mayfield. “It’s not necessarily something we’ve done a thousand times, but I’ve shown since training camp that I can be a threat in the red zone and I think he’s seen that and kind of trusted in me that I would be able to make some kind of play on a somewhat broken play.

“Other than that, it was kind of like a routine thing I work on every day, tracking the ball into my hands, something I’ve been doing every day for my entire football career. It’s a matter of concentration and focus.”

By the way, Cleveland won that game.

Guess who was the recipient of the game ball?

The young man from Jamestown’s northside.

“It was pretty cool to get my name called in front of the team,” Carlson said.

In five games, Carlson has caught four passes for 44 yards and the touchdown described above. Those are hardly gaudy numbers, but his contributions as a receiver, a blocker and a member of special teams have earned him increasing playing time.

That was evident in last Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh, 17 days after his prime-time touchdown reception against the Steelers in Cleveland.

Split out wide early in the first half, Carlson ran a down-and-in route where Mayfield found him for a 21-yard gain, punctuated by a stiff-arm that sent Steelers’ defensive back Steven Nelson flying.

“I’ve had people asking me about it all week,” Carlson said of the stiff-arm. “I’ve kind of been saying that I don’t know where it came from. I’ve never really made a play like that in my career. It just kind of felt natural in the moment. I think it just comes down to me wanting to make some plays and contribute to the team and try and help us get as many wins as we can.

“It’s something that you kind of dream about leading up to the game, like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make a nice catch, make some nice plays, stiff-arm somebody, score a touchdown.’ The more you try and think positively and think of big plays in your head, it will translate to big plays being made on Sunday.”

Later in the game, Carlson turned in another athletic play when he downed a Cleveland punt at the Steelers’ 1-yard line. Because the play was under official review, it was replayed over and over on network television, giving more air time to the former two-time all-state player from Jamestown High School.

“It wasn’t a play that I had practiced,” Carlson said. “I’m usually not on (that special team), but Demetrius (Harris) was being looked at for a little injury he had, so I stepped up. … I originally thought that the ruling was going to get overturned, because (the ball) touched my knee after I went into the end zone, but our special teams coach was saying since I had possession — two hands, two feet — and downed the ball, the play was over before I even fell on the ball.”

Cleveland saw its three-game winning streak snapped, however, and, at 5-7 on the season, the playoffs seem remote, but to this point Carlson has made a positive impression. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, he posted the highest grade among the Browns’ offensive players last Sunday.

“One of my strengths is preparing, knowing what to do, and knowing what could possibly happen on the play that I’ll most likely be in for,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest strength of mine that allows me to have confidence when I go out there. Do the right thing, don’t have mental errors and not make mistakes on plays.”

That attitude has not gone unnoticed by the media that cover the Browns, although Carlson calls the attention he’s received “odd.”

“I feel like I’m the same kid I was 10 years ago when I was playing for Jamestown High School when (The Post-Journal) was the only media coverage we got, really,” he said. “I’m just a regular kid from Jamestown.”

Performing on football’s biggest stage.

“It’s just a matter of going in every week knowing what I can do and showing the coaches I know what to do … and it has worked out for me,” he said.

His teammates appear to appreciate Carlson’s efforts, specifically Mayfield, who asked the Browns’ equipment staff to frame the former’s jersey from his first NFL game against the Broncos a month ago.

“I’ll hang it up in my home in the future,” Carlson said.

In the meantime, it appears he feels quite at home with the Browns.