SB Nation - Melila Purcell

Cleveland Browns Announce Roster Cuts; Few Surprises As Jamal Lewis Makes It

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:31:32 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

It's a "no" for veteran WR David Patten, who won't be able to play for the Browns for the second time in his career.

The following players were cut by the Cleveland Browns, trimming their roster from 75 to the league required 53 players:

(Key: Expected Cut, Highlighted/Notable Cut, Shocker Cut)

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

QB Richard Bartel
FB Charles Ali: I'm sorry to see him go. I really like having at least two players at every non-special teams position, and Ali was a pretty good backup fullback. We didn't keep Herron either, so who will serve as the backup fullback remains a question.
RB Noah Herron
RB Chris Jennings
WR David Patten: I'm sure he'll catch on elsewhere. We really would have had too many receivers on the team if we kept him.
WR Jordan Norwood
WR Paul Hubbard
WR Lance Leggett
TE Aaron Walker
OL Dustin Fry
OL Kurt Quarterman
OL Pat Murray
OL Branndon Braxton
OL Isaac Sowells: It's party time!

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

DL Brian Schaefering
DL Adam Hoppel
DL Santonio Thomas
LB Titus Brown: An early injury in camp foiled his roster chances. I thought there was an outside chance he might end up on the practice squad.
LB Beau Bell: Phil Savage's fourth-round pick goes down the drain. He might not even be practice squad eligible.
DB Brandon Anderson
DB Corey Ivy: I guess this means Coye Francies is going to receive a lot of playing time this season.
DB Tra Battle
DB Hamza Abdullah

The team also reached an injury settlement with DL Melila Purcell, so he is no longer with the team. To be more specific about some of the players, we didn't "waive", but rather "terminated the contract of" Abdullah, Patten, Herron, Ivy, and Walker. The Browns actually waived one more player than required, so we should be signing someone soon to the 53-man roster.

Now, it's interesting to take a look at which bubble players did make the team. Here is a brief list of the players we can congratulate:

POTENTIAL "SURPRISES" TO THE TEAM

TE Martin Rucker: He might have made the team by default, because Aaron Walker really wasn't an upgrade over him. On the same note, the fact that he did not drop any passes against the Bears might have been the difference too.
OL Corey Hilliard: Who? He was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in 2007 and spent the past two years on the Colts as a backup/practice squad type player. We didn't get a chance to evaluate his talent much, but I'm happy to see Isaac Sowells finally go. For the record, Hilliard will serve as the team's backup offensive tackle.
LB Marcus Benard: The undrafted free agent out of Jackson State did it. The first preseason game against the Packers was his best game by far, although I wonder if Titus Brown would've made the team instead had he stayed healthy.
LB Leon Williams: The veteran hasn't really been seeing reps with the first-team defense, but he's still on the team. Perhaps his versatiliy of playing the inside or the outside helped his cause. Either way, I really don't see him getting much playing time this season.
LB Blake Costanzo: Not a surprise to me. I welcome his special teams abilities this season.
DB Gerard Lawson: His kick return abilities against the Chicago Bears this past Thursday might have saved his job. He doesn't have a huge role on the Browns, but maybe that'll change with us waiving both Hood and Ivy.
DB Bret Lockett: It's funny how us as fans can pick out players like Benard and Lockett and say, "if someone is going to make the team, I can see it being these players". Lockett adds some depth to the safety position.
DB Nick Sorensen: Again, not necessarily a surprise, but he is mainly a special teams contributor.

Many of the players we cut could still end up on our practice squad.

For those curious, here is a list of former Browns players that have been cut/waived recently:

FORMER BROWNS PLAYERS WAIVED

QB Jeff Garcia
RB Marcus Thomas
RB Allen Patrick
WR Steve Sanders
WR Brandon Rideau
WR Travis Wilson
WR C.J. Jones
OT James Lee: This is a guy I'm sure we'd take a look at if Crennel was still here. He was the young prospect who we tried to sneak on the practice squad last year, but the Buccaneers signed him to their 53-man roster.
C Melvin Fowler
DL Shaun Smith: Gotta love this one.
LB David Holloway
CB Travis Daniels
CB Rod Hood
S Nate Ness
S Brian Russell: This would be too good to be true if the Browns were able to bring him back. He's been gone the past few years, playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 24 - Pool Absent, Foster Waived

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:50:10 -0000

It doesn't really feel like training camp anymore, but a few sessions still remain. The team hit the field Monday for one of their final three public sessions; after that, everything will be closed off and geared especially towards preparing for the regular season. Rapid Reports indicates that only about 300 fans attended practice on Monday.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 24 (8/24/09)

Pool's Injury: If you recall, S Brodney Pool left Saturday's exhibition game after getting dinged. Let's hope it wasn't a concussion, but it wasn't a good sign that he was no where to be found on the practice field Monday. The team did not offer any comment on his absence either. Veteran S Mike Adams took Pool's place on Monday. Safety Hamza Abdullah has a broken finger and sat out of practice too, so the roster odds of S Bret Lockett just shot up.
Getting Some Depth Soon: It was good news to hear that OL Rex Hadnot was out on the field again. He wasn't practicing, but him being on the stationary bike is an encouraging sign that he's on schedule to return from his MCL injury within the first few weeks of the season.
Goodbye Foster: The Browns waived offensive tackle George Foster after he had a disappointing camp. It was clearly evident why the former high draft pick could not stick around with other teams. This past Saturday, he completely failed to block a rusher that caused Brett Ratliff to get drilled and fumble the football.
Purcell Gone Too: After suffering an injury, DL Melila Purcell was waived/injured. If he clears waivers, he'll revert to the injured reserve. The team also released TE John Madsen, who rarely appeared in training camp reports.
Roster Replacements: With three people gone, three people were signed, presumably only to be waived in a few weeks too. They are OT Corey Hilliard, TE Nate Jackson, and S Tra Battle.
Massaquoi's Role: He got early reps in Saturday's preseason game, and rookie Mohamed Massaquoi was lined up opposite Braylon Edwards as the No. 2 receiver Monday. The race continues between him and Joshua Cribbs, with Mike Furrey likely seeing consistent action at No. 2 and No. 3.
QB Edge to Anderson: For Monday's session, Brady Quinn had some struggles while Derek Anderson was fine. On Quinn's first attempt in a game simulation, he was intercepted by S Mike Adams on a pass intended for TE Robert Royal. Later on, he had a pass batted away from DB Rod Hood. Anderson, on the other hand, was able to roll out and fire a touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi. Later on, on perhaps the play of the day, he completed a 50-yard pass to Brian Robiskie. Robiskie laid out on the play to make the reception.
Bubble Watch: As Jerome Harrison continues to sit out with injuries, RB Noah Herron is doing well, seeing some action near the goal line in drills.

Monday's Links/Camp Sources

Pool absent, Hadnot spotted (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
QB leader in the clubhouse? None yet. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 20 (Leonard Mix-Up)

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:30:25 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns safety Mike Adams (20) blocks a punt by Dave Zastudil (15) during practice at the team's NFL football training camp in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

With the Cleveland Browns set to do battle with the Detroit Lions this weekend, defensive lineman Louis Leonard got into a scuffle with defensive line coach Bryan Cox. The last person who did that was Shaun Smith. He now plays for the Detroit Lions.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 20 (8/20/09)

The Incident: ~~It happened at the Swan.~~ Whatever happened, Louis Leonard apparently cursed at Cox. As a punishment, Cox told Leonard to run a lap and to not stop running until he told him to. Leonard ran four laps in a row, something you can imagine being exhausting to a big man like that. Leonard seemed to have a cordial attitude about it afterward though, so I don't think we'll see him waived before regular cuts.
Update on the Lions: Lions top receiver Calvin Johnson will sit out against the Browns. On top of that, our first-string defense won't know which quarterback they'll be facing until close to game time. It could be Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton, or Matthew Stafford.
Bring Out the Cart: The third player of training camp has received the cart. Following in the footsteps of OL Rex Hadnot and WR Syndric Steptoe, DL Melila Purcell was carted off the field with an apparent ankle or Achilles injury. You might see another situation in which the team injured/waives him.
Transactions: Gone are OL Branndon Braxton and WR Edward Williams. Replacing them are OG Patrick Murray and LB Robert McCune. Information on the new players here.
Injury Updates: OL Ryan Tucker returned to practice today. DL Shaun Rogers still isn't practicing, and neither are LB Titus Brown, RB Jerome Harrison, and LB David Bowens. With Bowens and Brown going down, LB Alex Hall will probably start against the Lions Saturday.
Mangini's a Comedian: This comes from Rapid Reports: "Browns coach Eric Mangini said he has peaked at the notebooks compiled by players from meetings. When asked if there were any doodles on them, he joked that he saw one with a drawing of his face with an "X" through it."
No Huddle: A good portion of practice focused on running the no-huddle offense.
Brownies: RB James Davis caught a touchdown pass from QB Brady Quinn...QB Derek Anderson overthrew RB Noah Herron on a flat pass in goal line drills...WR Braylon Edwards is having a great camp minus his drop against Green Bay.
Around the League: If you didn't catch it, Chad Ocho-Cinco kicked an extra point for the Cincinnati Bengals after their kicker went down with an injury. Ben Roethlisberger limped away from practice, but it isn't believed to be too serious.

Thursday's Links/Camp Sources

Louis Leonard learns lesson with laps (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)
Pucell hurt, Leonard hot (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Thursday camp notes: Royal flush (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Defensive Line Preview (Part 2)

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:26:32 -0000

After covering the potential starting defensive linemen of the Browns yesterday, now it's time to take a look at the players who will be competing for the reserve roles. When you consider that someone like Shaun Rogers isn't an every down player, it remains important that there isn't too significant of a dropoff in production down the depth chart.

For a reminder of Part 1 of the defensive line, click here.

5. C.J. MOSLEY - BACKUP DEFENSIVE END

C.J. Mosley (#69)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 305
College: Missouri
Experience: 5 years
Stats: 17 tkls in 2008

A former sixth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings, C.J. Mosley has spent the past three seasons with Mangini and the Jets. He doesn't have a lot of starting experience (7 starts in 47 appearances) but was a versatile backup who kept his mouth shut.

Here is what thejetsblog.com had to say about Mosley back in February when Mosley was still a free agent:

"I liked Mosley a lot as a ‘depth guy’ for the Jets. He had a high motor and gave the Jets solid pass rushing depth on sub packages." Link

He already received a positive endorsement from general manager George Kokinis back when Mosley was first signed by the team.

"C.J adds another piece to the defensive puzzle," said Kokinis. "He is a competitive defensive lineman that runs to the football and will fit in well with the players in that group."

Player Quality: C
Final Roster Odds: 90%

6. SHAUN SMITH - BACKUP DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

Shaun Smith (#91)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 325
College: South Carolina
Experience: 6 years
Stats: 36 tkls, 11 games

Sometimes you just get that vibe that a player isn't going to be with your team very much longer. Right now, that feeling is at the expense of defensive end/defensive tackle Shaun Smith. After a decent 2007 season, Smith made a lot of noise in 2008. Unfortunately, that noise was made off the field, like when he allegedly punched quarterback Brady Quinn in the face. Yep, that's a nice way to make the fans love you.

On top of that, according to Tony Grossi from a report in May, the new coaching staff told Smith to "Shape up and shut up." That doesn't exactly sound like a warm welcome, especially when two of Mangini's former defensive linemen have been signed (Coleman and Mosley) and there are younger players who will shape up and shut up. Once deemed a very reliable and versatile backup to Rogers at the start of last season, Smith's pompous demeanor has overshadowed the playmaking ability we thought he had.

Player Quality: D for detrimental to the team
Final Roster Odds: 60%

7. AHTYBA RUBIN - BACKUP DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Ahtyba Rubin (#71)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 330
College: Iowa State
Experience: 2 years
Stats: 11 tkls in 2008

If S. Smith isn't going to be the backup to Rogers, then Ahtyba Rubin has a fair shot at claiming that role. Rubin is tied with Louis Leonard for being our second-largest lineman, and he showed some promise during his limited action last season.

In our big win against the Buffalo Bills last season, he recovered a Fred Jackson fumble in the third quarter. His best statistical game came in Week 16 against the Bengals when he recorded 5 tackles in a 14-0 loss. This is the type of situation where it would've been really nice to record some of these games and look back at Rubin's plays. Maybe rufio's assessment of him during a game last year can be improved upon:

"He needs to get lower in his stance though, I can always tell its him and nor Rogers because he is so high in his stance." -rufio, during a game thread against the Texans

Player Quality: TBD
Final Roster Odds: 80%

8. LOUIS LEONARD - BACKUP DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Louis Leonard (#93)
Height: 6-4
Weight: 330
College: Fresno State
Experience: 3 years
Stats: 25 tkls in 2008

It's difficult to speak on Leonard's specific weaknesses, but something has to be up when you receive more playing time than a rookie (Rubin) in 2008, but fail to create the same type of buzz.

Although Leonard has been in the league for two years with three different NFL teams, last year was technically his rookie season in terms of playing time. He and Rubin have similar builds, but I can't see the Browns keeping both players unless they decide to part ways with S. Smith. Down the depth chart, you get to a point where players are pretty much replaceable. We found Leonard on the free agent wire, and chances are we can find another player like him if necessary during the season.

Final Roster Odds: 40%

9. SANTONIO THOMAS - VETERAN DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

Santonio Thomas (#97)
Height: 6-4
Weight: 305
College: Miami
Experience: 3 years
Stats: 13 tkls in 2008

Just who is Santonio Thomas? He's been in the league longer than you'd think. He started his career as an undrafted free agent for the Patriots back in 2005. He spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the Patriots' practice squad before finally seeing some in-game action in 2007.

The Browns signed Thomas after Robaire Smith's season-ending injury last September. Once again, with minimal playing time to go by, it's hard to evaluate these types of players. Thomas should head into training camp as an underdog though, and should only be in the mix if the team decides to rid of S. Smith. At 27 years old, he's also 3-5 years older than Leonard and Rubin. It's hard to imagine him improving upon his game at this point, so unless he shows standout ability over either of them, his roster odds won't be very good.

Final Roster Odds: 25%

10. MELILA PURCELL - PRACTICE SQUAD DEFENSIVE END

Melila Purcell (#97)
Height: 6-5
Weight: 295
College: Hawaii
Experience: 1 year
Stats: 2 year practice sqd

It seems like a rare case where none of the defensive linemen above Purcell are eligible for the practice squad anymore. Melila Purcell, on the other hand, who I keep forgetting is still on the team, can still go on the practice squad. Would he like it? Probably not, as he has spent the past two seasons (minus one game) there.

Yahoo still has Purcell listed at 266 pounds, which is more of what he was like in his college days. He weighs in at 295 pounds now, but lacks the NFL experience to make a splash at the defensive end position, especially with Mangini's pair of Jets ready to see playing time there. When the Browns chose to sign Thomas last season after Smith's injury instead of promoting Purcell, it was probably a telling sign.

It's probably time for Purcell to try to catch on elsewhere. Of note, rookie linebacker David Veikune, who fans and coaches seem to be high on already, was initially Purcell's backup in college at Hawaii.

Final Roster Odds: 25%
Practice Squad Odds: 40%

11. ADAM HOPPEL - UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

Adam Hoppel (#67)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 300
College: Cincinnati
Experience: 3 years
Stats: 13 tkls in 2008

Our only rookie defensive lineman in camp this year, I headed over to Scott Wright's Draft Countdown to look for a scouting report on Adam Hoppel. There was none.

Hoppel grew up in Ohio, making him a semi-local player. Hoppel's family has a background in wrestling, including his father who was a three-time state high school champion, his uncle who wrestled at Bowling Green, and his cousin who was an NCAA Division III wrestling national champion at Muskingum. When it came time to make a decision, Hoppel chose football over wrestling. Now he'll get the chance to play for the team I'm sure he watched fairly often growing up.

Stats from his biography: "Saw action 35 career games and racked up 81 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks… Recorded four sacks as a senior" Hoppel appeared to play the defensive tackle position at Cincinnati, but would fit in more as a defensive end in our defense.

Final Roster Odds: <1%
Practice Squad Odds: 25%

DT Position Quality: C- (Backups Only, Minus the Loser of Coleman vs. Smith)

It's safe to say that the Browns will definitely carry six defensive linemen, with a good chance that they'll carry seven and a (very) outside chance that they'll have eight. These players should have near-guaranteed roster spots:

Locked Up: Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams, Kenyon Coleman, Robaire Smith, C.J. Mosley.

That's five, without really having a backup nose tackle. In a battle of Rubin vs. Leonard, I'd take Rubin as the sixth man. If we choose to go with a seventh player, which I believe we will, it should come down to Leonard vs. S. Smith. If the coaches feel S. Smith has responded well enough to their blatantly honest advice, he should be our final lineman. If not, that's when the odds of making the team improve for the rest of the bunch in the list.

Poll

(Two part question) Do you see DL Shaun Smith making the final roster? Who is the NT behind Shaun Rogers?

S. Smith makes the team, A. Rubin is the backup NT

139 votes

S. Smith makes the team, L. Leonard is the backup NT

25 votes

S. Smith gets cut, A. Rubin is the backup NT

234 votes

S. Smith gets cut, L. Leonard is the backup NT

35 votes

433 votes | Poll has closed

Browns Rookie Minicamp Recap - Day 1

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:39:29 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

RB James Davis carries during the NFL football team's minicamp Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

For the fans, trying to actually "critique" a player's performance in minicamp is about as meaningless as it gets. Training camp, which will begin in a couple of months, is where the evaluations really begin.

Nonetheless, minicamp is still very important to the many undrafted free agents who are fighting for a training camp roster spot. Based on reports from The Plain Dealer and the OBR, here are some news, notes, and nuggets from Day 1 of Rookie Minicamp:

Head coach Eric Mangini has a strict policy when it comes to making mistakes:

"If you put the ball on the ground, you run," said Mangini. "If you get a penalty, you run. There's nothing more valuable than the football. And just looking at how turnovers affect games every single year. It's amazing and dramatic how much one turnover or plus-one or minus-one can affect a game, so there's nothing more important than the ball, and penalties are concentration errors. If you can't concentrate long enough to get the snap count, we need to give you some time to concentrate on that."
An example? When WR Brian Robiskie dropped a punt, he was forced to run a lap.
Besides blunders such as Robiskie's, players who commit penalties will also be scrutinized. Mangini will have officials at every practice to track types of penalties, who received them, and trends in penalties.
In total, there were 47 players at the practice. They included the Browns' 8 draft picks, 14 undrafted free agents who were signed, and 20 undrafted free agents fighting for a contract in a tryout.
There were 5 non-rookie players, according to the OBR, who participated: QB Richard Bartel, WR Lance Leggett, OL Kurt Quarterman, DL Melila Purcell, and LB David Holloway.
RB James Davis, pictured at the top of this post, had the following to say on whether he thought he was a steal in the sixth round:

“I would call myself a steal,” he said. “But, I’m a hard worker and going to do what I can to contribute.”
At least he didn't say he was the best running back in the draft.
Mangini's core values were made clear: "communication," "focus," "finish" and "trust."
Mangini stands behind his decision to draft LB David Veikune where he did in round two:

"I love the guy's motor," said Mangini. "This guy's got toughness, aggressiveness and a smoothness to the way that he changes directions and run games. I think he could play both outside and inside for us moving forward."

In an update from a previous story, Mangini has stated that he did not leak negative reports about Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree.

Cleveland Browns Add Seven to Practice Squad

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:30:47 -0000

After signing offensive guard Scott Young to the 53-man roster last night, the Cleveland Browns named seven players to their practice squad today. I'm pleased with several of the players that we were able to stash away:

BROWNS THAT MADE PRACTICE SQUAD

WR Steve Sanders
WR Lance Leggett
DL Melila Purcell
S Travis Key

OTHERS THAT MADE PRACTICE SQUAD

RB Omar Cuff
OL Christian Gaddis
LB Titus Brown

That means the Browns have one spot remaining on the practice squad -- one that you would expect to go to OG Nate Bennett in a day or two.

Here is some quick background information on the new players, courtesy of the OBR:

RB Omar Cuff (5-10 and 195 lbs): "Was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Delaware who spent training camp with Tennessee. Cuff ran for 4,364 yards and 65 touchdowns during his collegiate career at Delaware."
OL Christian Gaddis (6-4 and 300 lbs): "Spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and appeared in one contest. Gaddis was originally an undrafted rookie free agent with Buffalo in 2007 out of Villanova. He spent ten weeks on the Bills practice squad before being signed to the active roster on Nov. 14, 2007. "
LB Titus Brown (6-3 and 245 lbs): "Was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Mississippi State who spent training camp with the Miami Dolphins. Brown was a four-year letterman at Mississippi State with 170 career tackles and 18.5 sacks."

Players who did not make the Browns' practice squad (and who were considered potential candidates) include DL Chase Pittman, RB Travis Thomas, LB Chase Ortiz, and DB A.J. Davis.

Cleveland Browns Final Cuts Announced - Travis Wilson Among Them

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:42:41 -0000

It's one of the more exciting days as a fan to find out who will be available on gameday during the regular season, but for those who have been cut, it has to feel like a downer. Overall, my projections were pretty good, but there was a shocker -- the removal of wide receiver Travis Wilson. You have to wonder if that one dropped catch against the Bears cost him everything.

FINAL TRANSACTIONS (TO GET ROSTER DOWN TO 53)

Players Waived

WR Travis Wilson - I wouldn't be surprised if he still gets brought back at some point though, if we run into another injury.
WR Steve Sanders
WR Efrem Hill
WR Lance Leggett
TE Brad Cieslak - Good luck to wherever he goes next.
TE Kolomona Kapanui
OL James Lee - I hope to see him on the practice squad.
OL Jonathan Palmer
DL Melila Purcell
LB David McMillan - A shame he never caught on.
LB Chase Ortiz
DB A.J. Davis
DB Jereme Perry
DB Travis Key - Big-time playmaker in little time with the Browns; hope to see him on the practice squad.
DB Brandon Mitchell
K Jason Reda - If Dawson gets hurt, I think he did enough to get the first phone call.

Waived-Injured

RB Travis Thomas
OL Derrick Morse
OL Marvin Philip
DL Chase Pittman

Terminated-Vested Veteran

LB Shantee Orr

Injured Reserve

OL Lennie Friedman

Here are some of players who were on the bubble and made the final 53-man roster:

POSSIBLE SURPRISES (THEY MADE THE FINAL ROSTER)

WR Syndric Steptoe - His strong preseason effort paid off, and I'm sure his progress on kick returns helped him in case Joshua Cribbs gets banged up again.
WR Paul Hubbard - This is probably a fairness issue -- they gave Travis Wilson several years to develop before cutting ties with him, so why not give Hubbard at least a year to progress?
OL Nate Bennett - With Lennie Friedman being placed on the injured reserve (speaking of which, when did he get banged up?), Bennett takes his roster spot. I don't think anyone could've projected this one unless they had inside information on Friedman.
OL Isaac Sowells - My reasons hold true. Take that, doubters! ;)
DL Louis Leonard - He adds some versatility, because he can play nose tackle or defensive end.
DL Ahtyba Rubin - Showed more progress in his first camp than Babatunde Oshinowo seemed to.
DB Gerard Lawson - He had some trouble tackling in the final preseason game, but I thought his awareness level was a little higher than the rest of the guys trying to make the team. He's also taken a few reps at kick and punt return -- if Cribbs is out Week 1, the Browns could put Steptoe at kick returner and Lawson at punt returner (or Lawson could do both if Steptoe is out for a week too).

Leave your thoughts on the cuts here. I correctly projected 49/53 roster spots, which is 92.4% accuracy. Grade me with an "A" ;). I will be updating this post shortly with a little note next to some of the players.

Poll

Which roster decision are you most surprised about?

Paul Hubbard over Travis Wilson & Steve Sanders

104 votes

Shantee Orr getting the boot

71 votes

Isaac Sowells making the final roster

24 votes

199 votes | Poll has closed