Andrew Sendejo, who immediately becomes one of the Browns' eldest veterans, signed with Cleveland on Friday.
Here are five things to know about the new Browns safety.
1. Sendejo is entering his second decade in the NFL, making him one of the most experienced players on Cleveland's entire roster. At 32, Sendejo has been playing since the 2010 season, when he signed midway through the year with the Cowboys as a practice squad player. Over the next year, Sendejo was cut twice, first by the Cowboys and then the Jets, who signed him as a practice squad player but never let him see the field. Sendejo signed with the Vikings in late November of the 2011 season and ultimately stuck, working his way up from a special teams player and backup to a full-time starter by the 2013 season. Over the past decade, Sendejo has appeared in 110 games with 61 starts.
2. The best stretch of Sendejo's career was from 2015-17. He started every game in which he was active and racked up 74, 69 and 80 tackles, respectively, over the three seasons. He also compiled a combined five interceptions. Minnesota won the NFC North twice during that period and advanced to the NFC Championship in 2017. Minnesota ranked first in the NFL in 2017 in total defense (275.9 yards allowed per game).
Check out photos of safety Andrew Sendejo
3. In 2018, Sendejo started the first five games before suffering a season-ending groin injury. He signed with the Eagles for 2019 and appeared in nine games with one start before he was waived in early November. He was claimed by the Vikings one day later and provided an immediate impact. He appeared in six games with two starts and intercepted two passes, including one in his first game back. Sendejo was a regular player in the team's two playoff games on defense and special teams, too.
4. Before he entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Sendejo spent a season in the now defunct United Football League. He played and started in eight games for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. He led the team in tackles (48) and interceptions (2). Quarterbacked by former NFL star Daunte Culpepper and coached by Dennis Green, the Mountain Lions went 4-4 during Sendejo's season.
5. Sendejo grew up in Spring Branch, Texas, a suburb north of San Antonio. He starred as both a football player and soccer player at Smithson Valley High School. He enrolled at Rice University and emerged as an immediate starter his freshman season. Sendejo was a tackle machine throughout his collegiate career, racking up a career-best 18 in a game against Marshall as a sophomore and compiling two other 17-tackle efforts. His senior season came to an unfortunate end, though, when he suffered a high ankle injury that required surgery. For his college career, Sendejo had 318 tackles, two sacks, seven forced fumbles and nine interceptions.