This undrafted free agent has no shot of making the season-opening roster, but that doesn't matter to Dylan Sutcliffe.
The Browns on Tuesday announced their signing of the 9-year-old from Lyndhurst, Ohio, to a one-day contract, and Sutcliffe joined the team for OTAs on Tuesday.
MORE: NFL players doing good | Don't worry about Johnny Manziel
"But first, let me take a selfie." #give10 pic.twitter.com/z8NubbOICn
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 2, 2015
Sutcliffe, who has the genetic immunodeficiency disease ataxia telangiectasia, told Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana that his dream was to play for the Browns.
General Manager Ray Farmer made the announcement: "We’re excited to add another quality player to our roster as we prepare for the 2015 season. When we first connected with Dylan, it was clear he was a competitor who had all of the right attributes to be a contributor to our team."
Team President Alec Scheiner greeted Sutcliffe after his limousine’s arrival in Berea, Ohio, and escorted him into a meeting with Farmer in the draft room, where the two ultimately agreed to terms and watched film.
"Dylan is definitely a young man who has all of the ‘Play Like a Brown’ traits, particularly through his passion, toughness and relentlessness," coach Mike Pettine said. "We look forward to seeing him bring that energy to practice this afternoon."
Sutcliffe was accompanied by his parents, Derek and Jennifer; grandparents, Dennis and Mary; and 4-year-old brother, Sean, who also has A-T.
The day's events are part of the Browns' celebration this week of the one-year anniversary of their First and Ten volunteering initiative.
In the past year, the Browns fan group "the Dawg Pound" has pledged to do more than 500,000 hours of volunteering to help their communities, and Browns players have contributed more than 900 hours of community service in Northeast Ohio.
