The day after defeating the New York Jets 21-16 in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the NFL’s preseason schedule on Thursday night, the Cleveland Browns released five players and signed three players with Alabama football roots.

The Browns announced they had signed former Alabama tight end Miller Forristall, Spanish Fort High School and South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Wayne and Park Crossing High School linebacker Cam Bright. The players had been released last week – Forristall by the New Orleans Saints on July 25, Wayne by the Buffalo Bills on July 29 and Bright by the Seattle Seahawks on July 31.

MORE NFL:

· HOW BO JACKSON STARTED DEMARCUS WARE ON THE WAY TO THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

· BRADLEY BOZEMAN ON BRYCE YOUNG: ‘HE JUST CRUSHED IT FROM THE BEGINNING’

· JOHN METCHIE III: ‘I FEEL LIKE I BEAT THE TOUGHEST BATTLE’

Forristall is making a return trip to Cleveland.

Forristall entered the NFL in May 2021 by signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted rookie after he caught 38 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns in the final two of his five seasons at Alabama. But Forristall has most his NFL tenure with Cleveland.

Forristall played in two games as a rookie and four in the 2022 season. In those games, Forristall was on the field for 27 offensive snaps and 61 special-teams plays for the Browns.

Forristall had signed with New Orleans on Jan. 26.

Wayne played in the final four of the Alabama High School Sports Association’s basketball tournament every season of his prep career starting when he was an eighth-grader, first with Faith Academy, then as a senior with Spanish Fort.

But after catching 28 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns and running for 279 yards in his final prep football campaign for the Toros, Wayne appeared in six seasons with South Alabama. In his first three, he totaled eight receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns when he lined up at running back and tight end as well as wide receiver. Then came 33 receptions for 418 yards and one touchdown in 2020 followed by 53 receptions for 630 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 building to 58 receptions for 816 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022.

Wayne signed with Buffalo on May 12 after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In his final season at Park Crossing, Bright recorded 131 tackles and 16.5 sacks for the Montgomery school before going to Pittsburgh. He spent five seasons with the Panthers before transferring to Washington for his final college campaign.

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bright signed with the Seahawks on May 12.

Cleveland released wide receiver Daylen Baldwin, punter Joseph Charlton, cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., running back Nate McCrary and offensive tackle Hunter Thedford.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.