The Raven Report 9.6.15: The #Browns & #NFL Cut Day

By @nevaRWilliams

Welcome everyone to The Raven Report for Sunday, September 6, 2015.

As many of you know, Saturday was the final cut down day for the upcoming NFL season. While I’ll get to some notable cuts in a bit, I’d like to go over the cuts made by the Cleveland Browns.

First of all, in case you missed it earlier in the week, the Browns had to cut down from 90 players to 75. The big names of that group were 2011 draft pick but oft injured defensive lineman, Phil Taylor. While Taylor seemed to get mixed reactions about his play from fans and media alike, he seemed to have trouble staying on the field due to injuries suffered every season. Along with that, the selection of Danny Shelton in this past year’s NFL draft made Taylor expendable, since Shelton has shown off his power, drive and fresh legs in the preseason. Other names in the 75 cut, was local Cleveland fan favorite, wide receiver Shane Wynn.

Onto the cuts down to 53. If you watched Thursday’s Browns vs. Bears preseason game, then you know the lackluster performance that quarterback Thad Lewis put on. Lewis, in his second stint with the Browns, finished the game poorly with just 100 yards passing, one interception and took on 7 sacks. Any QB who puts on that showing deserves to be cut, and thats what the Browns did on Saturday afternoon. Other recognizable names cut Saturday afternoon were wide receivers Josh Lenz, Darrius Jennings and Vince Mayle. Mayle was a 4th round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but did not give anything worth noting throughout four preseason games.

Josh Lenz on the other hand proved to many in the Browns organization and fellow teammates that he just might have what it takes to become an NFL wide receiver. But with the Browns keeping four tight ends, Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray, EJ Bibbs and Rob Housler, younger players like Lenz, Jennings and Mayle became expendable. For me, I still feel like there is a chance that Lenz, Jennings or Mayle may still find a spot on the Browns practice squad.

The rest of the Cleveland Browns cuts are as follows:

QB Thad Lewis, OL Karim Barton, QB Pat Devlin, RB Shaun Draughn, DB Landon Feichter, RB Tim Flanders, DB Kendall James, WR Darrius Jennings, OL Erle Ladson, WR Josh Lenz, WR Vince Mayle, DL Jacobbi McDaniel, OL Andrew McDonald, OL Darrian Miller, DB Robert Nelson Jr., OL Vinston Painter, LB Hayes Pullard III, DB Joe Rankin, LB Mike Reilly, DB De'Ante Saunders, DL Dylan Wynn, OL Eric Olsen, DT Phil Taylor, TE Anthony Ezeakunne, WR Shane Wynn, LB Everette Brown, LB Moise Fokou, RB Jalen Parmele and DB Aaron Ross.

With the cutting of so many offensive linemen and both Thad Lewis and Pat Devlin, I fully believe that the Browns will look at the waiver wire to see if they can find a suitable back up quarterback, as well as a few linemen.

In what some believe to be a “stunner cut”, the San Francisco 49ers cut defensive lineman Darnell Dockett after giving him $2 million in guaranteed money in the offseason. It’s believed that Dockett may retire and even begin an on-air broadcasting career.

Elsewhere around the league, the Philadelphia Eagles cut QB Tim Tebow, despite a solid showing in the fourth preseason game. The Eagles also recently traded QB Matt Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals.

Former Colt receiver Reggie Wayne was let go by the New England Patriots. Some industry insiders believe that Wayne could opt for retirement.

Speaking of former Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans parted with Hakeem Nicks after having just three receptions for 59 yards in his two preseason games with the Titans.

Other notable cuts around the NFL:

DT Devon Still, Bengals
QB Matt Cassel, Bills
RB Jonas Gray, Patriots
WR James Jones, Giants
WR AJ Jenkins, Cowboys
FB Henry Hynoski, Giants
DE Jason Babin, Jets
QB Matt Flynn, Jets
DT Red Bryant, Bills
K Nick Novak, Chargers
LB Jameel McClain, Giants
OL Derek Sherrod, Chiefs

QB Christian Ponder, Raiders
S Taylor Mays, Raiders
P Steve Weatherford, Giants
WR Duron Carter, Colts
DE Da’Quan Bowers, Buccaneers
DE IK Enemkpali, Bills
QB Logan Thomas, Cardinals
DE Quentin Groves, Bills
LB Philip Wheeler, 49ers
QB Matt Simms, Bills
DB Will Blackmon, Seahawks

DB Charles James, Texans
WR EZ Nwachukwu, Texans
LB Kourtnei Browns, Texans
DT Jerel Worthy, Packers
DE Corey Wootton, Packers
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Rams
QB Rex Grossman, Falcons
QB TJ Yates, Falcons
QB Josh Freeman, Dolphins
K Caleb Sturgis, Dolphins

DL Louis Nix, Texans
RB Storm Johnson, Jaguars
DL Josh Chapman, Colts
LB Matt Shaughnessy, Cardinals
QB Ryan Lindley, Patriots
LB James-Michael Johnson, Chiefs
FS Sanders Commings, Chiefs
OL Isaiah Battle, Rams
DB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Saints

Lastly, be sure to check out the Triple Threat CLE Radio Show on No Static Radio, Friday nights at 9pm EST on NoStaticRadio.com. This coming Friday, September 11, we will break down the Browns schedule for the season and go over the rest of the leagues games and much more.

Leadoff with Lee 9.2.15 #PhilTaylor #Browns #Olympics #Buckeyes

By @cleeverizon

- In their cuts to get down to 75 players, the Browns have terminated the contract of 2011 draft pick, defensive tackle Phil Taylor. The Browns also released defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and kicker Carey Spear.

Taylor was the 21st pick of the 1st round in the 2011 draft. Prior to being released, the Browns and Taylor reached a undisclosed injury settlement. In 2011, the Browns used a 3rd round pick to trade up after dropping down to select Phil Taylor. The Kansas City Chiefs took Justin Houston with Cleveland's 3rd round pick. Who was the Director of Player Personnel in Kansas City at the time? None other than current Browns general manager, Ray Farmer.

In 2014, Justin Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks. Phil Taylor had 20 unassisted tackles (36 total) in 20 games in 2013 and 2014 combined. So basically, the Browns traded a chance to take Julio Jones for Phil Taylor, Greg Little, Owen Marecic, Brandon Weeden, plus a 4th round pick (in next draft) and Trent Richardson. Out of all the players named, Brandon Weeden is the only one who is still in the NFL as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys.

In reality, Phil Taylor was a victim of the numbers game and knee surgery. A defensive lineman needs a explosive lower body. I feel the Browns felt that Taylor couldn't contribute right away and rather for him to spend time not playing, they agreed to an injury settlement. With the emergence of 2015 first round draft pick Danny Shelton and the deep defensive line, it made Taylor expendable. When you have depth at a position like the Browns, you will have situations where players are cut that can contribute on other teams but simply fell victim to the numbers game.

- Browns who didn't practice on Tuesday: CB Justin Gilbert (hip flexor), WR Brian Hartline (thigh injury), OL Joe Thomas (veteran’s rest) and CB Charles Gaines (hamstring). Browns not on practice field that moved to injured list: Duke Johnson (concussion), Luke Lundy (concussion), Pierre Desir (concussion) & Nate Orchard (back).

- The Browns also placed OL Michael Bowie (shoulder), QB Connor Shaw (thumb) on injured reserve. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, tight end Randall Telfer and running back Glenn Winston were placed on the reserve non-football injury list.

- The United States Olympic Committee is set to announce that Los Angeles is the U.S. candidate to host the 2024 Olympics. Boston was the original location selected by the U.S.O.C., but was dropped from contention in July. The International Olympic Committee will pick the host city in 2017.

Rome, Paris, Hamburg and Budapest are already in the mix.

- CBS will stream NFL games this season! The stream will debut on Sunday, October 4th featuring the New York Jets vs. the Miami Dolphins, from London. CBS Sports will also stream the Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys on November 26. The games will be available to watch online on tablets, computers, Roku, Xbox One and Apple TV. Unfortunately, not all games will be broadcasted.

For more information about this deal, CLICK HERE

-The Ohio State Buckeyes have released their first official depth cart as of September 1, 2015

Leadoff with Lee 5.5.14

-After winning the first two of a three game series, the Tribe lost to the White Sox 4-3 on Sunday. Corey Kluber was lights out through 8 innings, striking out 13 and at one point set a team record by striking out 7 in a row. The Indians had a 3-1 lead heading into the top of the 9th inning. Closer John Axford came in and tried to record his 10th save of the season. With 2 runners on, Chicago's Dayan Viciedo hit the 3 run shot to put the Sox ahead 4-3. The Indians start a 4 game series at home against the Minnesota Twins tonight starting at 7:05pm.

-Over the weekend, the Browns picked up Phil Taylor's 5th year of his rookie contract. The deal will secure Taylor $5.5 million dollars entering into the 2015 NFL season. The Browns are still trying to hammer out a deal with cornerback Joe Haden. With Seattle's Richard Sherman due a new contract, expect Haden to sign after Sherman to ensure he gets his fair market value.

-It took the Spurs 7 games but they defeated their in state rivals the Dallas Mavericks 129-96 I'm San Antonio yesterday. Tim Parker led the Spurs with 32 points. Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 for Dallas. The Spurs will face the Clippers on Wednesday in the western conference semi-finals.

-Is Brooklyn is the house! Yes and beat the Toronto Raptors with a nail biting score of 104-103. Joe Johnson scored 15 of his 26 in the 4th quarter. Kyle Lowery led the Raptors in scoring with 28. The Nets will face Miami in the eastern conference semi-finals on Tuesday.