Defensive tackle Andrew Billings signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns last season only to eventually decide to sit out the year due to COVID-19.
With that year now complete, Billings is looking forward to returning to action with the Browns this fall. In an appearance on the team’s podcast, Billings said it was hard to sit by and watch last season as his team played on without him.
“I wanted to be out there,” Billings said. “I wanted to be out there in practice. I wanted to be in those meetings. I wanted to be in those games. Coming into next year, it’s even more important for me to get out there and work harder because there’s a team out there that I want to be a part of, so I have to find my place.”
Billings was unable to be around the team at all last year due to his decision to opt out. He did take the time to watch tape of the team’s game to see what the team was doing week-to-week and prepare him for when he was able to rejoin the team this year.
“In the beginning, it was kind of hard to watch,” Billings said. “But after a while, you just miss it, so I’d go to NFL Game Pass and just watch and study the plays and see what we were doing.”
After missing his rookie season to a torn meniscus, Billings missed just one game for Cincinnati over his last three seasons with the team. He started 37 games with 80 total tackles and 3.5 sacks.