7 Players you forgot spent time on the Cleveland Browns roster

Ben Tate never reached his full potential

The Houston Texans liked what they saw from Ben Tate during his Auburn career enough to use the 58th overall pick on him in 2010. Tate was unable to get into the action as a rookie as he broke his ankle in the preseason opener, which is just about the worst way possible to start out your NFL career.

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He rebounded and returned healthy in 2011 and had to compete with Derrick Ward, Steve Slaton, and Arian Foster on the Texans talented running back depth chart. Slaton hadn’t done a whole lot the prior two seasons but in 2008, he had 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns meaning he could get it done when Houston needed him.

However, it was Foster who had stolen the show as the undrafted free agent from Tennessee took off when Tate was hurt as a rookie. Foster had 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns that year, meaning Tate was fighting for second-string this time — a spot he won easily.

Even with Foster there, Tate was successful as he had 942 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. His touches fluctuated from there and he ended up leaving following the 2013 season, which saw him run for 771 yards and four scores.

Cleveland liked what they saw and he was added ahead of 2014. He had a solid start to the season, including a 123-yard game against the Titans in October. Tate didn’t stay happy though with the Browns as he was frustrated to be in a committee with Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West and eventually he was released.

Tate spent only eight games with the Browns and had 333 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Clearly, this was a season that was easy to forget.