Cleveland Browns make roster changes and other news
With addition of TE David Reeves, the placing of DL Desmond Bryant on reserve/non-football injury (NFI), the addition of LB Jason Neill and OL Corey Tucker and the waiving of OL Conor Boffeli and LB Jackson Jeffcoat the team roster now stands at 91 players. Soon the roster cuts will begin as the Cleveland Browns begin the task of whittling down the roster to the NFL limit of 53 players.
As it stands right now the Cleveland Browns have the following number of players at the various positions: LB 14, DB 18, TE 7, OL 16, WR 12, K 2, DL 9, RB 5, QB 4, LS 1, FB 2, P 1.
Two notable presences on the practice field were Josh Gordon and Joe Haden. Both players are recovering from injuries but should be ready to play when called upon. Josh Gordon has been cleared to play with the Cleveland Browns on the fifth game of the season (October 9, 2016 at home against The New England Patriots). Gordon was reinstated by the NFL on a conditional basis on July 25. He will serve a four-game suspension before suiting up in Week 5 for the first time since December of 2014, but is allowed to participate in training camp.
Both players were in team uniform but without pads and after the practice Josh Gordon responded to several fans calling his name and came to the sidelines to sign autographs saying how much he appreciated the love that the fans have shown to him.
At the start of camp, Jimmy Haslam spoke to the players about eliminating distractions and focusing just on football. When asked about the return of Josh Gordon he said that he felt that Josh Gordon’s leg injury was a blessing in disguise as it will give him a chance to slowly indoctrinate himself back into the team (or as Mr. Haslam put it, “I think Josh needs to come in here, get reoriented, learn his teammates, learn the new coaching staff, learn the plays and get his life settled) as he serves out what will hopefully be his last suspension.
As for Josh Gordon when given a chance to speak at a press conference many felt he showed a level of growth and maturity."I definitely think I'm a different person. If you haven't changed over a period of time then it's definitely a bad thing. I think me standing here is a testament to that," Gordon said. "Most people might not see it that way. That just comes with the territory with me being who I am, considering my past. But I'm only looking towards the future. And hopefully people can see that."
"In the past I've been a selfish player. I'll definitely admit that. I wanted to do things my way," Gordon reminisced. "But things turn around. People change. It's possible to change. It takes some learning, but you eventually get to that point and I think I have."
Concerning Isaiah Crowell Haslam remarked that it was “terribly unfortunate and inexcusable” but that “Crowell made a mistake and is paying a large penalty for it” (after getting caught posting an offensive drawing on his social media page depicting a hooded man cutting a policeman’s throat he attended one of the funerals in Dallas, Texas and will be contributing his first game’s paycheck to the Dallas Police Department).
Last on the distractions list for this summer season is Armonty Bryant who accepted a plea agreement last Wednesday that resulted in a first degree misdemeanor conviction on attempted drug possession charges. The conviction stems from when Bryant and De’Ante Saunders were pulled over early Christmas morning in Cuyahoga County. Saunders was charged with drunken driving and speeding while Bryant was charged with felony drug possession due to Adderall and Oxycodone were found in the car. Through Bryant’s plea agreement he was given a 180 day suspended jail sentence, a $1,000 fine and 68 days of probation which will end at the same time as his four game suspensions. The NFL will review the case under their personal conduct and substance abuse policies to see if further action is warranted.
Talking to the fans during the practice session reveals a “wait and see” attitude. No one is willing to make any predictions as to how the team will fare in the win and loss column. This may be the best thing for the team since nobody is sure what to expect, any improvement will be noted as a step forward. One thing is for certain, even with a young team a record of 3 and 13 will definitely not be tolerated by the fans or the coaches. With the amount of talent on the practice field there is hope that the Cleveland Browns can field an exceptional team this coming season on which to build on.
