{"id":657185,"date":"2026-01-06T00:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T00:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/657185\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T00:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T00:22:15","slug":"chargers-sign-troubled-nfl-guard-ben-cleveland-for-playoffs-after-year-of-divorce-drama-drug-bans-and-duis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/657185\/","title":{"rendered":"Chargers sign troubled NFL guard Ben Cleveland for playoffs… after year of divorce drama, drug bans and DUIs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By BEN NAGLE, US SPORTS EDITOR<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 18:15 EST, 5 January 2026 | Updated: 18:17 EST, 5 January 2026 <\/p>\n

The Chargers are handing a lifeline to scandalized former Ravens offensive guard Ben Cleveland just in time for the NFL playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cleveland, 27, has played all five of his NFL seasons for the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> but was released by the team this week after being suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.<\/p>\n

The ban came after months of off-field drama in which he divorced his wife amid ‘adultery’ claims and was arrested for a DUI… but now he is back in the league.<\/p>\n

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that the guard has signed to the Chargers’ practice squad, with a view to being a part of the team’s playoff run this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LA faces the New England Patriots<\/a> in the Wild Card round on Sunday night, in a bid to reach the divisional round of the postseason for the first time since 2018.<\/p>\n

If Cleveland plays, it will be the first time he has taken to the field since November 16, when he helped the Ravens beat the Browns in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

\"Ben <\/p>\n

Ben Cleveland is back in the NFL after agreeing a deal to join the LA Chargers’ practice squad<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The lineman filed for divorce in Feb ‘because of adultery’, which his wife vehemently denied<\/p>\n

He was suspended on December 8 – it is unclear of the specifics – but remained on the roster until January 1, when he was waived.<\/p>\n

The PED ban was just one of a number of off-field issues Cleveland has been embroiled in this season, the most high-profile of which being his divorce.<\/p>\n

The then-Ravens star filed\u00a0to divorce Kaitlyn Terrell Cleveland on February 28, submitting the documents in Baldwin County, Georgia.<\/p>\n

According to TMZ<\/a>, he filed the divorce ‘because of adultery’, however she immediately insisted they were ‘knowingly false’ claims,\u00a0alleging that they were ‘made in bad faith’ and ‘vehemently’ denying them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Terrell Cleveland also said that she hoped she and Cleveland could come to an agreement to resolve all ‘matters and controversies’ surrounding their split.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bombshell divorce filing in February, meanwhile, came just two weeks after he was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI).<\/p>\n

\"It \"Cleveland's <\/p>\n

It has been a rough year off the field for the offensive guard, who played five years in Baltimore<\/p>\n

The 6ft 6ins, 360-pound guard allegedly drove his truck while over the legal limit in Milledgeville, Georgia, on February 12.<\/p>\n

He was reportedly given two citations – one for DUI and one for failure to maintain lane.<\/p>\n

It’s claimed Cleveland told the officers that pulled him over that he had drunk ‘approximately 3-4 beers’ at a country club before getting behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

Cleveland was picked by the Ravens in the third round of the 2021 draft.<\/p>\n

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