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Cleveland Browns OL Donald Stephenson retires before ever playing with team

Veteran offensive lineman Donald Stephenson will retire after signing a 1-year deal with the Cleveland Browns in March.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas
Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Donald Stephenson has been suspended for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

CLEVELAND -- Donald Stephenson's career with the Cleveland Browns has come to an end before it ever really began.

On Friday, the Browns announced they have placed the veteran offensive lineman on the reserve/retired list, just months after signing him to a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent in March. Stephenson, 29, will retire from the NFL after six seasons in the league.

Originally selected out of Oklahoma by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Stephenson spent four seasons with the team before signing with the Denver Broncos in 2016. After starting 12 games for Denver in his first season with the team, he was relegated to a reserve role in 2017.

Having spent time with new Browns general manager John Dorsey in Kansas City, Stephenson signed a 1-year deal worth $2.5 million with Cleveland in March. Stephenson's time with the Browns, however, ended before it ever truly began as he failed to appear at the team's mandatory minicamp in June. Later that month, the NFL announced it had suspended the 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman due for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

As it turns out, that suspension will go unserved.

With Stephenson originally expected to provide depth for the Browns at both tackles spots, the team will continue to rely on the likes of Shon Coleman, Spencer Drango, Greg Robinson, Chris Hubbard and Austin Corbett to help fill the void left by future Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, who retired earlier this offseason.

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