DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns have released DE Chris Smith

And....another one bites the dust.

The #Browns have released DE Chris Smith, a league source tells me
https://twitter.com/MaryKayCabot/status/1201868491525120000

What is going on in Berea?

This team is a rudderless ship.

This seems like a team with no discipline, direction, or proper culture. There must be an undercurrent of bad attitudes/work ethic/etc

I guess we don’t need DE’s?
No Myles.
No Smith.
Vernon’s on a bum knee.

He had a key play sunday.. what's up with this move?

Considering the personal tragedy this guy suffered, would it have killed them to keep him through the end of the season? Its not like we're going anywhere. And owners, front office types, fans wonder why there's no such thing as player loyalty. Its because they get treated like livestock.

bingo. fans want players to show loyalty when the FO's around the league shows zero.

Can a player ask to be released ? Maybe he just can't take it right now and needs to step away. Hows that work ?

Wow. The guy loses his girlfriend in a horrific accident and now with only 4 games left he gets cut by the team that "supported him and had his back".

Classless and very sad move.

this is bad look

Unless he requested a release, I agree

Yeah as with everyone, I do not understand this move...besides Vernon, he was our only other DE with experience. Not sure what is going behind the scenes...yet once again.

King John , lol....

not entirely true, the steelers have been paying Shazier keeping him listed as a player now for how long? They are showing the rest of the team and the league, they would have your back as a player.

its sucks to say it, but we need a FO and Ownership like the Rooneys. They are a class act, and it translates to the field.

Talent over class, always with him.

And? You cant have superstars at every position. There are guys that need to fill spots and just are not going to be that great.

With his tragedy, it would have been a better look for THE TEAM to let him go in the offseason. You say your going to support a player, do it.

This looks bad on their part, and classless (IF he didn't ask to be released - we don't know - that's why I said LOOKS).

Once again, another instance of this FO putting TALENT over TEAM

If anything, you question the signing to begin with and the players that were released in order to get him on the roster.

We've seen this before as of late.

#RosterTurnover

Agreed. Its makes no sense. Avery comes to mind. Nassib, etc.

Include Ogbah too if referencing just DEs.

I saw a stat on twitter than Fells has 6 TD this year, and Njoku has 7 in his career or something like that.

I'm guessing this is to make room for activating Njoku?

Little depth at DE with Vernon and Garret injured/out and the Browns release Chris Smith.

Six wide WRs on the roster and Taywan Taylor is kept.

Let the Porter Gustin era begin!

We talk about building "a culture", a sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself, a team. And we know how Freddie loves slogans like "Go 1-0 this week.", or "We don't run from trouble. We run towards it together.", and so on. What do you suppose the locker room thinks of slogans now?

I heard on the radio last week that a whole bunch of Browns volunteered at a Food Bank event called "Feed The Need" that collected, boxed, and delivered donated food to needy families, and it was while they were there - on an off day - that they heard from the media that Devaroe Lawrence had been released. The report on the radio was that the players were very upset, and that Lawrence was very popular in the locker room. I'm not suggesting we should keep sub-optimum players out of a sense of charity. I know, and I'm sure the players know, its a business. But the Browns must realize that the constant roster churn takes a toll on players emotionally, and undermines Freddie's attempts to build a sense of Team. JMO.

They couldn’t have just made up an injury and IRed him?

Are we certain he didn't request it?

No, we are not.

Not sure which would look worse TBH, at this point in the season.

It's possible that he just has not been the same since his girlfriend died, and we need the roster spot for someone else. (maybe Njoku)

Then IR him with a bad heart, and at least pay him out through season's end. This just wreaks of cold, ruthless "business decisions". Like others have mentioned, it's pretty hard to build any sort of team chemistry or culture if you're just churning the roster non-stop.

There has to be a real, medical issue to IR someone.

People bring up Shazier ...... well, there's no question about the medical issues he is dealing with. I do not believe you can claim bereavement as a medical issue for a player to go on IR.

Besides, Smith's salary ... as a vested veteran player .... was guaranteed for 2019 by virtue of being on the roster for the 1st game.

So, my only guess is that Dorsey determined that the season is over, so he is letting go of someone that is over-payed in order to get more reps for younger players.

We are usually on our 3rd or 4th QB in December, so something had to give

I thought he was inactive Sunday.

You are correct, he was inactive.

I believe he was thinking of Chad Thomas.

We needed to make room for that DT we just signed

Im not comparing their medical status' of the two. I was comparing how they treat players to how we treat ours. You see, Shazier will ever play in the NFL again. The Steelers don't care, and will pay him anyway because unlike Dorsey, they are not a cold hearted fool. They realize he brings value just being on the sideline, and he does. The team has rallied around him, the city did too.

John Dorsey finds and brings in talent. I don't deny that. Talent doesn't win football games, you are witness to that last week 6 others so far this year. TEAMS win games. DRIVE wins games, CHEMISTRY win games. Dorsey doesn't understand that, which is odd as he played in the league.

We are not going to better our team by cutting Smith. I don't care how bad he played - we are out of the playoffs, and our season down the turd hole. Why not try to build CHEMISTRY for NEXT YEAR??? Why not show the league, "hey, the Browns care about our players - and we stick with them through hard times because they are our family". But now, the message sent is loud and clear - The Browns don't give a rats crap butt about anyone in this locker room.

The wheels are falling off already and its not even a year old......smh.

Plainly speaking, there is a large hole in your assumptions, by assuming Smith to be part of that future plan. Givin his age alone, it is imo a far stretch to assume that he was.

Now we know that is a stawman assumption.

Given our record, it is not uncommon to see movement to the backend of our roster, with the realization that next year starts today.

The Browns will pay his salary this year. That is in the CBA. Smith will get all of the money he had coming this year.

I don't get your argument here. Should we keep him on the roster just to do so?

Why? We paid him, and now get a chance to looks another player. That's the way the NFL works.