Seth DeValve doesn't have time to reflect or lament what could have been.
The fourth-year Browns tight end is in a race against time to make up for the time he missed during the bulk of training camp.
Saddled by handful of injuries during his first three seasons with the Browns, DeValve began this year's training camp by getting repetitions with the first- and second-team offense, poised to fill a role alongside David Njoku and Demetrius Harris. That all came to an abrupt end when he suffered a concussion that kept him off the field for weeks.
DeValve, the former fourth-round pick out of Princeton, returned to the field in time to pick up some snaps last week in Tampa, lining up both as a tight end and a fullback. He has one more opportunity to impress Thursday against the Lions before the final roster decisions are made.
"It was really tough," DeValve said. "Obviously, you have to do the right thing for your head, but it is behind me now. I am back in business playing football. I am excited to be back.
"Everybody is fighting for a job. I particularly am fighting for a job. I take it one day at a time, come out here and I am not thinking about the results. I am just thinking about doing the best I can today, make sure I am having fun and see what happens."
On top of his traditional duties at tight end -- a position at which he's caught 48 passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns since 2016 -- DeValve has added some work at fullback to his plate. Last week at Tampa, he served as the lead blocker on Cleveland's most successful running play of the night when Kareem Hunt turned the corner to gain 7 yards.
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who admitted it was tough to evaluate DeValve because of all the time he's missed, said he likes DeValve in this type of dual-faceted role because he "looks the part." At 6-foot-3, DeValve is the team's shortest tight end, and that certainly helps when he needs to plow through a sea of bodies to clear a lane for the running back behind him.
"It is one of those things where the more you can do, the better your chances are," Kitchens said. "I think he has recognized that and he has worked on that aspect of his game. We will see.
"We are going to have a tight end that can do that. He is not the only one who has done that, too. When you try to get the other guys work in at the tight end spot, somebody has to do the other parts of it."
Orson Charles played that role for the Browns last season and during the first half of training camp before he was waived. Joe Kerridge was signed shortly thereafter and brought a fullback-exclusive background to the mix, but he's been sidelined for a week with a concussion.
DeValve appears to be the main option at the position now, but he's more than aware nothing is certain when it comes to the decisions that are finalized Friday and Saturday.
"I take it one day at a time," DeValve said. "That is what you have to do in this business. I make sure I am having fun. I come out, do what I do every day, play football, do it to the best of my ability and take it one day at a time.
"I think I have a lot more to show. I believe my opportunity will come to show what I can do."
