Browns Hopeful Monté Gaddis has a Message for Browns Fans and for John Dorsey

Monté Gaddis has been hoping for a shot on an NFL team and is not giving up until he gets there. He answered some questions on his dream to play in the NFL.

Monté Gaddis has a dream to play in the NFL, specifically for his hometown team the Cleveland Browns. Some people may know Gaddis’s name; he has been standing with a sign outside the Browns facility hoping for a tryout.

Gaddis knows what he has to offer, speed, strength, and knowledge of the game. Gaddis is, in fact, a world-class athlete. He has recently come back to Cleveland in pursuit of his NFL dream after playing professional rugby in Serbia in 2018. I was fortunate enough to ask him a few questions about his NFL aspirations.

Gaddis has had success at each of his stops on his football journey. His most recent season playing Rugby has in his opinion helped him get better with his mechanics of tackling and using the proper techniques.

I asked: “Do you think you would be competing for a spot as a safety or linebacker aside

from special teams?”

He said: “I love to compete, let’s put that out there now. I’m open to all positions, whichever they need to put me at to help the team, but right now I am focusing on running back/full back. These past couple months the focus points have been blocking, route running and catching out the backfield.”

My next question was in relation to any reactions he has gotten from Browns personnel.

I asked, “Do you see any Browns players or well-known personnel entering facilities? If so who do you have the best relationship with or who do you talk to the most?”

Gaddis replied: “Yesterday the (tight end), David Njoku, pulled up on me and just told me to keep fighting. It really motivated me for him to approach me with positive feedback. I’ve also worked out with Damarious Randle a few times at Xpress Sports Training with trainer Ryan Adams. Randle has a real down to earth personality, great vibes each workout.”

I followed that with, “Do you have a message or quote that you specifically want Browns fans to relay in hopes of you getting you a workout?”

Gaddis responded, “I want to give a huge thank you to the best fans in the world! The support is unmatched, and the people really see my work ethic and consistency. Please keep supporting me by spreading the word, reposting and sharing my content. #GaddisToTheBrowns and always remember #SlowFeetDontEat”

Finally, I asked, “What would Monte Gaddis say to John Dorsey if he saw him walking by?”

Gaddis said: “I would let him know that the opportunity would be a childhood dream and you’re getting a player that can play in all 3 phases of the game. I would love to be used how Nate Ebner of the New England Patriots is used. There are no off the field or character issues with me. You will be getting a gritty, blue-collar athlete that knows how to work and win! Being a team player is how I earned being a team captain and All-American in college.”

Nathan Ebner is also a world-class athlete born and raiser in Ohio. he is a special-teams-only player for the Patriots, and a rugby athlete on the United States National Rugby Sevens Team. He is the only active NFL player to have competed in the olympics. Despite hot having played high school football, in his junior year of college Ebner walked on to the team at The Ohio State University. In 36 career games, Ebner had 30 tackles as a special teams player from 2009 to 2011.

Ebner was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has played for the Patriots since 2012, winning Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks in 2015, Super Bowl LI against the Falcons in 2017, and most recently Super Bowl LIII against the Rams in 2019. Ebner is one of Bill Belichick’s favorite and most reliable players and key piece to the Patriots dominant special teams play. However, not many fans think of him when they think about the Patriots’ playoff runs. The players and coaches on those Patriots teams will quickly name Ebner, however, as a key contributor.

NFL rosters are constantly changing. With the win now mentality that most NFL teams operate with, the question is always, “how can this player make our team better?” Not every player that is on an NFL team will see the field or be a star. The players that lack the passion and heart to play in the NFL will quickly wash out of the league. On the other end, there are also very talented, very hungry players waiting in the wings to get their opportunity. It’s those underdog stories that motivate us. It’s the athletes that have overcome or were written off too soon. It’s the guys that everyone else has overlooked, until “It” happens. “It” is that person’s chance. Monte Gaddis is hopeful that in 2019, he will get his chance and get an NFL workout, preferably with the Cleveland Browns.