Browns release Davone Bess

Oct 27, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Davone Bess (15) reacts after missing a pass during the second half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns have officially parted ways with wide receiver Davone Bess.  In what has been an incredibly consistent year, everything went wrong for Bess in Cleveland.  Stemming from a delicate psychological situation, Bess struggled on and off the field.  The move will cost the Browns about $3 million against this year’s cap in guaranteed money they owed Bess, but overall, the move to acquire Bess and the resulting failure were of a minimal cost.

With the exception of rotund reporters who graduated from St. Vincent St. Mary and are working for a media outlet that still considers Triv a legitimate part of the local media, the financial impact of Bess is unimportant.  The Browns can easily afford to eat the money involved in this move and Jimmy Haslam losing about $5.3 million on the deal has no impact on the team’s ability to win going forward, which is all that matters to any fan.  The Browns hoped Bess could be a veteran leader and help Josh Gordon become more of a professional.  Whoops.

The move to acquire Bess, which was universally applauded at the time, cost the Browns about 50 spots in the draft from the fourth to the fifth round.  They did not lose any picks to get Bess.  They just slid down the board and added him in the process.  The move did not work and hopefully Bess can get the help he needs, but anyone pointing this as some huge fiasco or real disaster is making this much more than it should.  Should anyone feel compelled to really get upset about Bess, keep in mind that general manager Ray Farmer was probably a key part of the move as scouting players already in the league are his specialty.