BEREA, Ohio — It's been a few years since Demetric Felton wore orange and brown, but after a winding NFL journey stemming back to 2023, he's back for a new role with the team and a new chapter in life.
Felon was originally selected by the Browns in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was immediately tasked with being a multi-position player, serving as a running back, wide receiver and kick returner. That meant a lot of playbook to learn.
While the veterans and coaches on staff were there as resources, there wasn't a dedicated person helping him navigate that part of adjusting to the NFL. On his own, Felton found ways to study and understand what was being asked of him in the offense and on special teams.
"I kind of just used Quizlet when I was here, learned two different positions, and I used it every other place just to be able to help my learning, but it felt super tedious," Felton said.
Felton remained with the Browns until 2023, continuing to learn every step of the way.
"I was cut [from the Browns] in 2023 after training camp, went to Cincinnati for a year. I was on that practice squad. I didn't get re-signed there because I had to get surgery. Got surgery. Got picked up by the Bears; was there for a little bit, got cut. Got picked up by the Colts, was there to finish camp with them, got cut. And then I was out for a little bit. The Bears signed me, I want to say Week 6 or 7 for a week, and then I got cut again. And then I was about to go into the UFL for a second, but then the Commanders came and worked me out at the beginning of last year, and so I spent the whole offseason with them. I was excited to do that because I was like, 'Ok, like I finally get to spend the whole offseason with the team, and I thought I had a really good camp, but ended up getting cut from there too,'" Felton said.
Felton's playing career was uncertain, but there was one thing he couldn't deny. His calling to remain in football was clear.
Inspired by the lessons he learned over the years on the Browns and the other teams he spent time with, Felton had an idea.
"I wanted to leverage my experience because I saw that not only was I going through something similar like this, but I saw it all over the league. I found a system where I was able to be ready at any time whenever a team needed me, whether it was being in shape but also with my mind being able to learn the playbook super fast and so I was like 'Why don't why don't teams have a better way to be able to onboard new players and also just be able to structure the learning?' because I felt like there was a learning, teaching and player development issue in the NFL and so I started a sports tech company," Felton said.
Felton began building an interactive learning platform, Chalkboard Sports, where information like installs, film, concepts, and more can be studied in-depth and interactively. Simultaneously, the tech allows users to be quizzed in a visual and interactive way as well, making the learning more interesting and, for many, easier to digest.
He was able to test his platform this summer at the Founders Academy, a startup accelerator designed to help current and former NFL players transition from athletes and investors into active business founders, operators, and owners.
The work Felton decided to dive into was getting high praise, and his study tech was well-received. As he promoted Chalkboard Sports, Felton heard from someone interested in his efforts.
"James Cook reached out to me from the Browns, who's the head of player development, and we had a lot of synergy in our ideas about what's needed for these players. So it was great to be able to talk to somebody who felt the same way as I did," Felton said.
In their conversations, an opportunity was presented to Felton. A reunion, a chance to come back to the Browns—but this time in a player development role.
Serving as an Offensive Skill Development Assistant for the Browns, Felton has retired from playing in the NFL and transitioned into working for the NFL team that gave him his start back in 2021.
Felton starts his mornings at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, getting the players on the Browns' roster ready for a long day of meetings, film study, practice, workouts, and studying.
"We take the guys through walkthroughs; we make learning content, study content for them. We'll do extra drills for them if they may have not gotten any reps," Felton said. "So it's been fun for me because then I get to scratch my itch by catching some balls and doing some top of the route stuff with the quarterbacks."
In any given practice, Felton can be seen working through drills with different position groups, talking with rookies, like wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, and helping the quarterbacks room, which, aside from Deshaun Watson, is filled with young guys just getting their feet wet in the NFL.
"I really appreciate Danny Breyer and James Cook and Demetric Felton, big on walkthroughs in the morning, helps set me up for a good day," Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel said.
Browns head coach Todd Monken also appreciates the work Felton has done with his young roster.
"A number of what you’d call auxiliary staff—those that don’t have a position group—certainly one of the advantages of having a big staff is they have time to spend with our players when maybe a position coach is getting ready for another meeting," Monken said. "Felton coming back here, really has headed up, along with James Cook, the ability for our guys using their iPads more efficiently; really, that’s the biggest thing to their advantage, and study outside the building.”
Monken's point is exactly what continues to motivate Felton in this new endeavor
"It's a great opportunity and I find a lot of purpose being able to give players something that I feel like I didn't have when I was playing," Felton said. "I feel like a lot of coaches bandwidth is really tough to be able to reach all players. Especially with me moving in between rooms, it was tough to get, I would say, the coaching that I needed to be able to succeed because I played multiple positions on special teams and on offense. I want to be somebody who, no matter what your depth on the chart is, I want to be able to help you because I know that all these players have worked so hard to get here. The opportunities come and go and so you've got to make the most of it, and you need all the information you can get to be able to succeed in those moments."
At 28 years old, Felton is young enough to easily relate to the players on the Browns roster, and still in enough game shape to be able to translate his study tech into hands-on lessons. From those on-field drills to walking through things after practice with individual players, Felton has been busy getting the young players and the new additions ready for the 2026 season.
It's may be a new chapter for Felton, but it's one that he's very much enjoying.
"I really like this job because it feels like I'm a player, coach, counselor, and tech guy and so it's very interesting," Felton said. "It's been super fun."
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