6 former Cleveland Browns who might be done in the NFL

3. Caleb Brantley

Ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, Brantley was considered a late first to early second-round prospect, until he was involved in an altercation just days before the draft, and was charged with battery against a woman.

He maintained self-defense, and the charges were eventually dropped a month later. The damage to his draft stock was done, however, as he fell all the way to the sixth round, where the Browns took him, seemingly landing an excellent value.

Brantley did not do much as a rookie, and was released during final cuts in 2018. He was not claimed off waivers, and signed with Washington, playing just 45 snaps over the next two seasons in between injuries. The Football Team has perhaps the NFL’s best defensive line, so it isn’t an indictment that Brantley wasn’t able to crack the rotation, but that hardly matters now. He opted out of 2020 and will turn 27 years old next month.

It’s a shame that his career was so derailed before it even got starter, but Brantley has been unable to recover. He was released by Washington in April, and there have been no reports of interest by other teams. That isn’t surprising for a sixth-round pick, but Brantley had more potential than most.