Todd Monken, head coach of the Cleveland Browns, was caught off guard by a situation that would have sounded almost impossible a year ago. The player at the center of it is Dae’Quan Wright, a rookie tight end who signed with Cleveland this summer after playing college football at Virginia Tech and Ole Miss.

Monken did not hide his reaction when he was asked about Wright after the Browns’ preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

“Ain’t this s— crazy? … I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now I know. I didn’t call him back.” Monken told reporters.

Wright entered the transfer portal Thursday, becoming the first active NFL player to do so. The Browns had claimed the tight end off waivers on August 11, and he was still around the team when the legal ruling suddenly opened another option for him. Wright was also dressed for Cleveland’s preseason matchup with Buffalo, although Monken explained that the rookie had not been getting practice reps because of a medical issue.

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A Louisiana court issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in a lawsuit involving athletes (including Wright) who argued they should receive another year of college eligibility. The ruling also prevents the NCAA from enforcing restrictions that would stop certain players who had signed professional contracts from returning to college.

Kiffin was already in the loop before Wright made his move. The former Ole Miss and now LSU head coach had checked in with his former receiver roughly a week earlier, probably knowing Wright was part of the lawsuit.

Wright had been listed fifth on Cleveland’s unofficial depth chart at tight end behind Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart, Jack Stoll and rookie Carsen Ryan. The depth at tight end was a “concern,” Monken said, as some of the depth pieces are dealing with injuries. Stoll, who was signed earlier this year, has been placed on injured reserve, and Ryan has been dealing with a foot injury.

Now Cleveland is left watching an unusual situation unfold around a player it had recently added to its roster. In Wright’s absence, the Browns signed Drew Biber.

Wright has plenty of college experience to fall back on if he chooses that route. After stops at Virginia Tech and Ole Miss, he finished with 113 receptions for 1,603 yards and nine touchdowns. His final season also ended with Ole Miss making the College Football Playoff semifinal before Wright moved on to the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Per the NCAA’s old rules, he had exhausted his eligibility.

However, on Friday, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay order to the NCAA, preventing the onslaught of pro players who could have been planning to come back to college for one more year.