As a result of a severe hamstring injury to center Nick Harris, the Cleveland Browns have officially signed offensive guard Hjalte Froholdt off of the Houston Texans' practice squad. Harris has been placed on injured reserve.
A native of Svendborg, Denmark, Froholdt came to Warren G. Harding High School as a sophomore foreign exchange student for the 2012-13 school year and was a key member of the football and boys track & field teams. He helped lead the football team to a 9-2 record and a berth in the 2012 OHSAA Division I playoffs. After moving back home to Denmark for his junior year, he returned to the United States to finish out his high school career at national powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Considered a four-star defensive tackle prospect by Rivals, ESPN, Scout and 247Sports, Froholdt ultimately chose the Razorbacks of Arkansas over the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Louisville, and Kentucky.
By his sophomore year at Arkansas, Froholdt was moved to offensive guard. He started his last 37 games at the position as a Razorback, a total of 2,412 snaps, en route to finishing his senior year on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch Listm which is given to honor impactful leaders in community service. In addition to that, he was also on the Outland Trophy Watch List, which is given to the nation's best interior offensive lineman.
In 2019, the New England Patriots selected Froholdt in the fourth round with the 119th pick. He spent two seasons on their roster and appeared in a total of eight games for legendary head coach Bill Belichick before being picked up off waivers by the Houston Texans on November 23, 2020. On August 31, 2021, he was waived by the Texans before being resigned to their practice squad. The Browns signed him to their active roster today, October 5, 2021.
Below is a highlight film of Froholdt's lone season with Harding in 2012.