The Cleveland Browns made a surprising move Wednesday morning with the release of veteran cornerback Joe Haden.
A day after news leaked that the Cleveland Browns were looking to trade cornerback Joe Haden, the team dropped a bombshell Wednesday morning by releasing the eight-year veteran.
The Browns announced the news on the team website, which included a brief statement from executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown:
"“We want to thank Joe for all he has done for this organization both on and off the field. He has been a great teammate and a true asset to the Cleveland community. These are very difficult decisions, we have the utmost respect for Joe and in my eyes, he will always be a Cleveland Brown.”"
Haden was a first-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft and made a splash his rookie year with six interceptions. Haden went on to make the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014.
But injuries have started to take their toll on Haden as he has only played 18 total games over the past two seasons. He is reportedly healthy this year, but his play in the preseason has been average.
There has been talk that the Browns were interested in moving on from Haden for a couple of years now, so today’s news is only a surprise because the team was unable to find a trade partner for Haden.
Haden is the first, but he likely will not be the last, of several name players that the Browns will be moving on from as they work toward the NFL mandated roster cutdown on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Cleveland Browns news:
Browns reportedly want to move on from Haden, Erving
The Cleveland Browns are reportedly looking to trade Joe Haden and Cameron Erving, but can they find any takers for the pair of former first-round draft picks?
DPD Pocast No. 20: DeShone Kizer’s new role
Cleveland Browns fans are placing their faith in DeShone Kizer, which is one of the topics discussed in the latest episode of the DPD Podcast.
Offensive line cuts will be difficult
The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line was a major question mark after last season. The offseason improvements will lead to hard cuts this week.
If DeShone Kizer is just OK, that is real progress (cleveland.com)
"In terms of physical gifts, DeShone Kizer is the best of all the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks. But he played only 25 games in two seasons at Notre Dame. Last season, Kizer was 4-8 for the Irish. He went from being the highest rated pro prospect by most NFL scouts at the start of the 2016 season — to a guy with a huge question mark over his future when the season ended."
Browns clearly feel Haden’s production does not match his paycheck (ESPN)
"It’s pretty evident that the Cleveland Browns feel like Joe Haden’s Pro Bowl days are behind him. That’s an assertion that Haden would vehemently argue, but the news that the Browns are willing to take offers for Haden did not bring any kind of blanket denial from coach Hue Jackson, the guy who takes questions on these kind of things at this time of year."
NFL news:
Matthew Stafford’s massive deal makes sense (Detroit Free Press)
"Matthew Stafford is the highest-paid player in the NFL, by a long shot. But that title has nothing to do with whether the Detroit Lions did the right thing – they did – in signing Stafford to a record-setting five-year, $135 million contract extension Monday."
Is Chuck Pagano lying about Andrew Luck? (Indianapolis Star)
"Eight months into the stupid thing, we still don’t know the story with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback situation. But at least we know how to tell it: with a wink and a giggle, not a snarl and a growl, because this situation – this story – is a comedy. Which is a nice way of calling it a joke."
Broncos fielding trade requests for T.J. Ward (NFL.com)
"T.J. Ward might be on the move. The Denver Broncos have received calls from and engaged in trade conversations with other teams regarding the veteran Pro Bowl safety, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday."
Texans may have the key to beating the Patriots (SI.com)
"“After that night we knew…” begins Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. He pauses to search for the right words. “We knew we were better.” Mercilus makes this assessment from his team’s training camp at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, surrounded by densely forested hills, 58 miles from the nearest Starbucks. He’s talking about last season’s divisional-round playoff game between Houston and New England, and he’s comparing his defense to the Patriots’ offense. “We could’ve done a lot more than we did that night,” Mercilus says."