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Cleveland Browns add Darrian Miller to roster, waive Robert Turbin

By Thomas Moore

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Nov 1, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Robert Turbin (27) fumbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns made additional roster moves on Tuesday, releasing running back Robert Turbin and promoting offensive lineman Darrian Miller from the practice squad.

The team announced the moves on its website.

While the loss of a third-string running back is not that big of a deal, the move to promote Miller to the active roster is more intriguing.

The Browns signed the 6-foot-5, 307-pound Miller as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky, where he was a three-year starter. He has spent the previous nine weeks on the team’s practice squad.

According to his draft profile at NFL.com, Miller is:

"Above average pass protection. Plays with good pass-set width and depth. Can withstand bull-rush. Understands hand placement value and works to keep them inside. Plays under control. Looks for work and plays with consistent passion and desire. Intelligent player. Sees twists and stunts and responds effectively. Three-year starter who faced outstanding competition from the right ends he went up against."

"Below-average athlete as a tackle. Sluggish out of stance and marginal leverage at point of attack. Below average drive blocker. Gets little movement in one-on-one confrontations. Average feet when asked to zone block. Short arms. Doesn’t have length or foot quickness to hold up against edge rushers as a tackle. Questionable athletic ability to handle pass-rush counters. Stiff knees and needs more lower-body bulk. Frame of a zone-scheme player but lacks the foot quickness."

"He doesn’t have the length or athleticism to make it as an NFL tackle, so he he’ll likely have to make the switch to guard. Has smarts and hands to play guard or center, but his lower body power must improve. With coaching, Miller could be a serviceable interior backup."

It is the last part about how Miller can be a “serviceable backup at guard” that caught our eye.

Left guard Joel Bitonio took a bit of a beating in last week’s game against Cincinnati, going to the locker room at one point, and reportedly was not at practice on Tuesday. Could the Browns be positioning Miller as a backup to Cam Erving in case Bitonio can’t go on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

It may be nothing, but we’ll see as the week progresses.

The Browns claimed Turbin off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks in September after being concerned that another team would sign him if he became a free agent.

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“To me, the timing of it for us was we knew that there were other teams interested and that being where we were in the claiming order,” head coach Mike Pettine said at the time. “We could have let him potentially clear and then try to recruit him and sign him or let him on his own but you’re competing with 30 other teams essentially for that.

“We think enough of him that that wasn’t something that we were willing to risk, that ‘hey, we have a chance to get him here, let’s get him here.’”

After waiting several weeks for Turbin to recover from an ankle injury, Turbin appeared in three games with the Browns, carrying 18 times for 60 yards and having problems holding onto the ball.

Apparently once the Browns saw him up close they no longer thought enough of Turbin to keep him on the roster.

Turbin’s release also should help make things simpler on game days with the running backs, as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo can focus more on getting the ball into the hands of Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell and less on trying to build a running back rotation around three players.

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