DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns cut Donte Whitner

Schefter.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/716418138133364737

Thought this would've happened sooner. Good luck, Donte.

Official:

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...35-d43bb4c457cf

best of luck donte. I'm not surprised

Old and expensive. Take the cap hit during the season when we were never going to be good anyway. Play younger guys and hope they step up. It makes sense.

For Donte's sake they should have released him weeks ago in the heart of FA.

The only thing surprising about this cut is how long it took them to do it. Also, more surprised by Ifo release than Whitner's.

With Gipson and Whitner now gone as well as the release of Ifo I am now wondering if they are seriously looking at Jalen Ramsey at #2. TN also reportedly interested in Ramsey but, seems it would be smarter for them to get Tunsil to help protect Mariota.

They were probably trying to see if they could get a pick for him.

I won't be surprised at how happy you guys will be when they replace him with yet another scrub.

j/c

With the continuance of this roster purge and all that cap space on hand I think Cleveland will be very active in acquiring extra picks.

They will likely replace him with someone who is not yet a scrub (or we at least don't know if he is a scrub). My guess is Ibraheim Campbell.

Also, I haven't seen anyone who is happy he was cut, just not surprised.

It sucked when they put Ole Yeller down. They still had to do it though.

Extremely unsurprising news.

McCown should be getting the hatchet soon.

Just surprised at the timing. Thought we'd keep more vets around.

Perfectly said!

Priceless.

Whitner was a scrub last year. He was terrible all season, especially in coverage. At least we'll get someone cheaper and with potential.

He still covered better than Ward ever did.

Browns release safety Donte Whitner, who wishes team would've had 'common courtesy' to do it sooner
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/04/cleveland_browns_donte_whitner_4.html

By Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland.com
Follow on Twitter
on April 02, 2016 at 8:11 PM, updated April 02, 2016 at 10:50 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Safety Donte Whitner was released by the Browns Saturday and criticized his hometown team for waiting until almost a month after free agency started to let him go.

"I just wish they had the common courtesy and would've done it weeks ago when free agency was going on,'' Whitner, 30, tweeted Saturday. "25thHour....But I'll bounce back.''

Whitner, the Cleveland native and Glenville High grad, returned home in 2014 to help his beloved Browns win a championship, but found himself the casualty of yet another rebuild and the new analytics approach that doesn't favor older players.

"I love you Cleveland,'' he tweeted. "My plan is in a different place. They're playing MONEYBALL now! Be blessed.''

The Browns released Whitner now so that he'd have an opportunity to catch on with a team before the draft April 28-30th. They also released 2015 seventh-round pick Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who was still recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL and dislocated knee.

"It is important for us to thank Donte for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons," said Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown. "His passion for this city and dedication to his craft was contagious. These are difficult decisions to make but we felt it was the best decision for the Browns at this time. We wish him the best as he continues his career."

Whitner's departure is part of the youth movement that the Browns told linebacker Karlos Dansby, 34, the team was embarking upon when they released him March 16th. In fact, he told cleveland.com that he told Whitner and others after the season to "be ready for whatever.'' He said Whitner and several of the other older players were bracing themselves for the call.

The Browns also cut receiver Dwayne Bowe, 31, on the day they waived Dansby, and could trade quarterback Josh McCown, 36, by draft day. They also recently released defensive lineman Randy Starks, 32, and tight end Jim Dray 29.

But the day Dansby was released, Whitner told cleveland.com he wasn't concerned he'd be next.

"I'm not thinking about that,'' the former Ohio State Buckeye said. "I'm just working out, getting in the best shape possible. It's really unfortunate that they let Karlos go. Really good player. Really talented player for a long time in this league and I do believe that he'll find work and catch on somewhere because he says he wants to win a championship.

"But I want to win a championship in Cleveland myself, so I wish him the best of luck and I'm just getting ready for the season.''

Whitner, 30, said at the time that no one had given him any indication he was on his way out.

"No no one has mentioned anything like that to me,'' he said. "I'm always confident in myself. I'm confident in the team and looking forward to working with this coaching staff and going out there and winning some games.''

Whitner said he talked to Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown around the time Dansby was released, but didn't ask about his future.

"We didn't really talk about football,'' he said. "There was no reassurance of anything but I don't think I need to be reassured. I'll just go out there and work there and work and see where we go.

In addition to getting younger, the Browns are also clearing cap space for the future. Whitner was under contract the next two seasons for $6.2 million and $6.3 million.

Whitner will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by strong safety Ibraheim Campbell, the 2015 fourth-round pick out of Northwestern. In his lone start last season at Cincinnati, Campbell made five tackles, including four solo.

It means the Browns will have two new starting safeties this season. The Browns also lost starting free safety Tashaun Gipson to the Jaguars in free agency, and he'll likely be replaced by fourth-year Jordan Poyer, who started four games in place of Gipson last season.

In 2015, Whitner finished second on the team with 81 tackles, including 58 solo. He missed two games midseason with a concussion, but started 14 others at strong safety, recording 1.5 sacks, four passes defensed and one forced fumble.

In 2014, his first season with the Browns, he finished with 106 tackles, including 69 solo, and made the Pro Bowl for the third straight season.

A first-round pick of the Bills in 2006, Whitner later helped the 49ers advance to the NFC Championship Game three times and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.

Wonder when they'll cut Kruger.

Probably later this week. LOL.

3...2....1...

Wow, they are blowing it up. Appreciate the effort Donte

This team was awful, is awful...and it's getting worse. Woohoo!

I'm not crying over Whitner in particular, this is a general statement based on our entire off-season.

We've gone from the Factory of Sadness to the Factory of Nobody Gives A Crap Anymore.

Wonder when they'll cut Joe Thomas. He's "old" and "expensive". Or maybe they'll hang onto him so they can flip him for some conditional draft picks.

I have 0 trust or faith in ANY of the crook Haslam, the wanna-be-bigshot-lawyer who knows nothing about football Sashi or Hue "Terrelle Pryor is a decent QB" Jackson.

Move the team to LA or London already and put us out of our misery.

It's a good thing I think RG3 is a joke. At least I'll get some pleasure out of watching him run around for his life this season. That'll be fun. /sarcasm.

I'm 100% on board with Carson Wentz. I think he's the whole package and then some. Which of course means there's no way in hell THIS group of wunderkinds is even considering him. And for that, I applaud them. No need to subject him to this wretched franchise and ruin yet another promising career.

This team is pathetic. Let the good players walk away. Cut the average players. End result: We have nothing to build on. And start from scratch constantly.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

No wonder we suck.

Complete teardown.

We are going for 0-16.

I thought Campbell out played him big time last year. Kid has the makings of a star in this league.

Have no problem seeing him leave as well. Honestly, best thing we could probably do for this team is just load up on defense in this draft, its where the talent is.

I would trade down to 7 or 8 take Treadwell then the rest of my draft would be on defense.

Hate to see it happen but as I said in the Dansby thread it needed to be done, we have way too many holes to fill in 1 off-season and too many of our starters are 30+ years old. Also when you factor in that we only had $40 mill in cap space with all those holes it just makes sense to clean house and start over. I just hope the new guys in charge get it right this time.

Truman Williams, Kruger probably next, i doubt we could trade haden but i would if i could.

I must say it's pretty funny. Guys freaking out because we are cleaning house on a 3 win football team. Then you go over to the Cavs thread or other Cavs forums, and everyone wants to clean house despite the team being 30 games over .500.

I feel like some other decision, whether it be drafting someone, or signing someone else, had to of been made recently, to cut him now.

I just don't see any logic that beyond that that would lead to us deciding now to cut him.

Next up:

"Desmond Bryant, Please report to the office."

"Tramon Williams, Please report to the office."

"Josh McCown, Please report to the office"

"John Greco, Please report to the office."

To be continued .......

Looks like Campbells job. Hope he improves with all the reps and takes the job if for nothing else than we got enough holes already. At current rate the Browns will be looking for contributors in every round and not just the first 3 rounds with gems and projects and future promise.
I can understand the thinking. Would've been nice to get something and maybe the timing suggest we were trying. Good luck Donte you'll get a gig somewhere dude.

I agree my friend. People are acting like we are ripping apart a dynasty worth keeping.

If I"m Tramon Williams, Paul Kruger, Josh McCown, Brian Hartline, etc ... I'm contacting a realtor just in case

The axe just continues to swing. I guess they want absolutely no veteran leadership.

I agree with Donte, should've gave the man the courtesy and released him earlier.

i agree. They all need to be cut. Minus maybe Brian Hartline.