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Six players the Cleveland Browns ran off, but should not have

By Elliot Kennel

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: Josh Gordon #12 of the Cleveland Browns makes catch in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: Josh Gordon #12 of the Cleveland Browns makes catch in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive tackle Danny Shelton #55 of the Cleveland Browns looks on against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 17, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Browns added some key players over the past few seasons, but they also moved on from players that could have played prominent roles for this year’s team.

Once again, the Cleveland Browns find themselves with a thin roster coming into the second half of the 2018 season. It suddenly becomes clear that there were several players that were cut for non-football reasons that it would be nice to have back.

The Cleveland Browns had a number of exciting additions to the 2018 squad, including players like Jarvis Landry, Carlos Hyde, Tyrod Taylor, E. J. Gaines, Terrance Mitchell, and T. J. Carrie. But there were players that were either cut outright or traded for almost no value, without much explanation why.

Six in particular stand out: Jason McCourty, Danny Shelton, Mychal Kendricks, Carl Nassib, Josh Gordon, and Cody Kessler. Some of these guys might still look good in a Browns uniform.

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Jason McCourty

McCourty left under mysterious circumstances. The presumption is that he may have asked for his release because he found the losing atmosphere in Cleveland to be unacceptable. In any case, he wound up joining his twin brother, Devon, in New England.

Because he was traded, McCourty kept his original Browns contract. The Browns get to move up a few spots from early in the seventh round to late in the sixth round next year. McCourty might have been unhappy given how crowded the defensive secondary became, especially with the drafting of Denzel Ward. McCourty has performed well for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. He is currently rated as the ninth best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

Danny Shelton

Similarly, big Danny Shelton has been playing 40 percent of the snaps for the Patriots this year, according to Pro Football Reference. The Browns get a third round pick in 2020 (not 2019), which doesn’t seem like very much.

Here again this may have been a case of the player being turned off by the Browns management and overall direction of the team. Shelton is not a superstar. The former first round pick is very big and stout but also very slow.

He may not be an every-down player, but he can plug up the middle of the line in short yardage situations – not that the Browns have had to worry about stopping the run lately. The Browns were second in the NFL in rushing defense, giving up only 3.4 yards per carry. This year’s team is 24th, giving up 4.7 yards per carry. That is a huge and appalling difference.

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