Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium has been a happy place for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Austin Watkins.

On his previous two trips to the Canton, Ohio, football field, Watkins played for the Birmingham Stallions as they won the USFL championships for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

On Thursday night, Watkins caught a 22-yard touchdown pass in the Browns’ 21-16 victory over the New York Jets in the Hall of Fame Game, the annual kickoff to the NFL’s preseason schedule.

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With the Browns trailing 16-14, Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson connected with Watkins for the score with 9:33 remaining.

Watkins also had a 13-yard reception for a first down in the game.

A 1,000-yard receiver at UAB, Watkins signed with the Browns on July 21 after he had 16 receptions for 197 yards and one touchdown for Birmingham in seven regular-season games in 2023.

Watkins has been in the NFL previously. In 2021, he sustained a broken foot in the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason opener, although he was able to join the team’s practice squad later in the season. Watkins also was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster during the offseason in 2022.

Although Cleveland and New York have 16 players from Alabama high schools and colleges on their rosters, only six got on the field on Thursday night, including Watkins, in a game staged largely by players positioned for backup roles in the 2023 season or entering a month-long fight to stay on the roster.

The other players from Alabama high schools and colleges involved in the Jets-Browns game included:

· Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) made three tackles in his pro debut.

· Browns running back Jerome Ford (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets defensive end Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) recorded New York’s only sack in the game on a third-and-10 snap on Cleveland’s first possession of the game. The sack pushed the Browns back to the New York 31-yard line, and Cleveland kicker Cade York missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt.

· Jets defensive end Carl Lawson (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore, Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Browns wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (Auburn) had a 7-yard run and a 7-yard reception. On the rushing attempt, Schwartz fumbled, and New York recovered at the Cleveland 31-yard line in the first quarter.

· Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (Auburn) made four tackles on defense and one on special teams. He caused another Auburn alumnus, Anthony Schwartz, to fumble, with New York recovering the loose football at the Cleveland 31-yard line with 1:54 left in the first quarter. The turnover led to a field goal as the Jets took a 6-0 lead.

· Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (Wenonah) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (Wenonah, Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) made two tackles.

Cleveland will resume its preseason schedule with a home game against the Washington Commanders at 6:30 p.m. CDT Aug. 11. New York will visit the Carolina Panthers at 3 p.m. Aug. 12 for its next game.

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