DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Roster/etc moves in Cleveland..

Who do you keep on the DL?

I am actually shocked that Kitchen hasn't been picked up by anyone yet. Man, he's a real quality player, and played his final game last year with a broken bone in his leg. I am really stunned that there have been no reports of him being brought in anywhere so far.

I am not. I think he is just big.

He's big with great lateral movement and a high motor.

There are a lot of guys like that. My guess is that someone picks him up after week one.

Vet contracts are fully guaranteed if signed before week one.

He'll sign week 2.

Shelton, D. Bryant, Hughes, Starks, Winn, Meeder, and Cooper, although I would have kept Kitchen over Cooper.

I would keep A. Bryant as more of a hybrid player.

Kitchen over Xavier Cooper?

Yes, w/out a doubt.

preseason's best pass rusher by far was Xavier cooper. I did not like the guy coming out as he was always being pushed around but he may have been the most impressive Brownie this entire preseason.

On Cleveland Browns' prospect Josh Lenz and the all too familiar waiting game as cut-down day looms

By Tom Reed, Northeast Ohio Media Group



CHICAGO – Standing inside the visitors' locker room at Soldier Field, Josh Lenz was unaware he had been cut Thursday night.

The Browns receiver gathered his belongings from a joint stall that had a temporary nameplate over it -- Josh Lenz 17/Darius Jennings 10 -- a sobering reminder of his tenuous position on the club.

Lenz had showered and dressed before running his index finger alongside his nose to discover the blood.

"I don't know when that happened," he said of the scrape near his left eye. "I haven't looked in the mirror yet."

The native of Dubuque, Iowa, who looks like he could be the kid brother of Peyton and Eli Manning, is one of about a dozen players fighting for a spot on the Browns' 53-man roster that will be named Saturday.

His third NFL training camp concluded Thursday night with a four-catch, 49-yard effort in a 24-0 loss to the Bears. Lenz played receiver, special teams and even earned six snaps as a safety for the first time since high school as the Browns rested some of their veteran defensive backs in the final preseason game.

"We think a lot of Josh," coach Mike Pettine said. "All he's done is come in and done everything we've asked of him. He gets open. He catches the football. He's very productive. He's made the most of his opportunity.

"That was the challenge of those guys going out on the field . . . From an individual standpoint make the (coaches') decision difficult and he's certainly done that and he's definitely one of the names being discussed."

The 24-year-old has earned respect of coaches and teammates alike with his good hands and crisp route running. With versatile Terrelle Pryor likely to win the seventh receiver spot, however, it's tough to imagine the Browns carrying an eighth wideout. They probably would love to stash Lenz on the practice squad if they could squeeze him through waivers this weekend.

Developing an almost instant chemistry with backup Johnny Manziel, the 6-foot, 195 pounder paced the Browns with 108 yards receiving in preseason. He also shared the team lead with seven receptions.

But the club teems with undersized possession receivers including Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel. The offensively-starved Browns need more than pass catchers. They need playmakers.

It's a reason why the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Pryor is on the cusp of making the team despite missing much of camp with a hamstring injury and not catching a ball in his only preseason appearance against the Bears. The converted quarterback took two snaps at his old position and also lined up as personal protector for punter Andy Lee.

Pryor's potential probably trumps Lenz's production. The youngster knows how pro football's numbers game works having spent time in the Bears, Seahawks and Colts organizations without ever playing in a regular-season game.

He got married in July before coming to training camp focused on contributing offensively and in special teams.

"You want to put things on film -- not just for here, but for every team around the league," Lenz said. "You don't know what's going to happen so you put some things on film and I feel like I did a good job of that."

Donte Whitner doesn't get a say in picking the Browns' roster, but the veteran safety took to social media Friday to offer a strong endorsement of a player he didn't know several months ago.

Whitner used his Twitter account to praise Lenz. His comments mirrored remarks he made about the receiver earlier in camp.

"It's just a waiting game now," Lenz said. "I feel like I went out there and did everything I could in the preseason and put some good things on film. Now you just have to wait and see how they feel."

NFL locker rooms are filled with angst following the final preseason game. It's a place crowded with men alone in their thoughts. Fourth-year defensive linemen Billy Winn, trying to retain his job, said Thursday night he didn't expect to sleep well. Rookie receiver Vince Mayle appeared mentally exhausted.

As many veterans, secure in their position on the team, exited the room to grab a quick bite before hopping on the bus, prospects such as Lenz lingered. He spoke to a handful of reporters all asking him the question to which he did not have the answer:

What do you think about your chances?

He planned to report to Berea on Friday morning to lift with teammates and await word of his fate. As Browns equipment managers picked up bags in front of the lockers, Lenz quietly slipped into his cowboy boots.

He still hadn't looked in the mirror, but chances are he'd be satisfied with what he saw, small cut and all.
"No regrets, man," he said. Link

I like Cooper. I just think we need another guy to occupy space and help w/the run defense.

I would like to keep Cooper around.

The guy who bugs me is Orchard. Not a fan of his at all.

j/c..

Too bad. Hate to see a guy like this cut over a guy like Mayle. If Mayle should make the team.

Aaron Wilson Verified account
@AaronWilson_NFL
Browns cut wide receiver Josh Lenz, according to a source, drew praise from Donte Whitner for his play during strong preseason

Link

I would have kept Lenz. That's too bad

end up on the practice squad.

Cutting lenz is just another reason I have no faith in this coaching staff

Is he eligible? And if so, I'd hope

It's is another nail in the coffin for me with this org.

From the horses mouth.....

Josh Lenz
@Josh_Lenz
Well just got done signing the release papers. Thanks to everyone for support this pre-season! It's been real Cleveland! #DownNotOut

Lenz Tweet

dang he played like a brown ... but I guess that terms only used when convenient

j/c

I like Lenz...BUT...the last guy on the depth chart at any position needs to have special potential. Especially at WR/RB/TE/QB.

We had 3 other guys just like Lenz on the team. Put Hawkins or Gabriel or Benjamin on the filed against the other teams' scrubs and see how many plays they make.

I hate the thought of Pryor as a QB. However, as a WR/Hybrid/Gimmick he has special potential. We have one guy near Berea with his combo of size and speed and that guy can't play this year. That size/speed combo is very rare.

I'm NOT saying Pryor will be special...but he has potential to be a pita for many reasons and possibly for a long time. When he first announced his switching positions I laughed.

I'd rather burn that last spot on the depth chart for a project/risk with special potential. Pryor is the definition of that. Similarly, it's the same reason Gilbert gets at least another year.

Hopefully we are able to get Lenz on our PS.

FWIW...if given the shot, I too would 'play like a Brown'. It wouldn't make the FO a bunch of liars if they cut me though.

The FO never said that they would never cut a guy they liked or cut a guy that played like a Brown.

Just saying.

Jacobbi McDanielVerified account
‏@JacobbiJustice
Like I never did before but came up short on this end. But I made some splash while I was here. I can't be mad the guys they kept were good

Totally agree with you; however, he had those characteristics PLUS outplayed/outproduced his competition (Mayle in particular). Now I'm not sure Mayle will make the team, I'm just pointing out that Lenz deserved it IMO. Heck, based on Whitner's three tweets yesterday (who's a team captain), it seems like the players on the team did too.

Will this end up being a big deal? Probably not. I'll probably forget all about Lenz in a month ... just typing to type lol

Mary Kay Cabot retweeted
Brian Hartline ‏@brianhartline 5m5 minutes ago
I wonder how much diff a NFL team would look if you asked their professional teammates who they would want to be on the team beside them.

This move looks good for Billy Winn's future.....

C. Dylan wynn
@cdylanwynn
I'd like to thank the Browns and dawgpound for the opportunity. Great city with even better fans. Thank you all

Tweet

The same quote could apply in the office or at Target. Someone has to make the tough decisions.

Wonder if this Lenz cut might create a ripple effect ?

I like the kid, but come on. he made plays against the scrubs of the scrubs. Every year the fans fall in love with some over achieving guy, who looks good against nobodies. They will sign him to the practice squad if he's not picked up.

You overlooked this quote from the same post:



He was very good against the 2s, 3s, & 4s of our opponents. The coaches also saw him in practice every day for the last 8 weeks or so.

Leading the team in receiving in the pre-season is hardly the criterion for making the team. I like the guy, but he has nothing that we don't already have ahead of him on the depth chart.

Pryor? He's a different cat altogether. Mayle? I'd keep Lenz over Mayle.

every time some one say this i cant help to think of what we saw of Dwayne Bowe this offseason........

Apples and oranges.

Bowe very well might be done...but he's done it before. I think he looked slow and lazy against Chicago. We shall see.

But it's silly to compare Bowe to Lenz. Mayle to Lenz? Absolutely.

If you/we want to hate on Bowe it is for a completely different circumstance than being upset that Lenz got cut and Mayle made it. (assuming MAyle makes it.)

If the Browns hadn't guaranteed Bowe with a hugeee $9 mill cushion...(stupid as we all know) I'm sure it would have been Bowe getting his walking papers, heck the guy is even slow when trotting back to the huddle...But if we released Bowe I'm sure everyone would question Farmer even more and his ridiculous amounts of money he had to throw at Bowe, McCown, Tramon Williams

Great message to the team bring in someone pay them 9 mil guaranteed and they can job through 2 preseason games and make no effort whatsoever and its all good you are protected. Bust your ass everytime u step on the field and you are rewarded with a sorry but.

Not me.

We have 3 guys who can play the nose in Shelton, Hughes, and Meder. Kitchen was becoming that 4th guy at the position, and I can't see the Browns keeping 4.

Cooper looks like something special, at least as far as his burst and 1st step. I hated to see Kitch go, but it wasn't to keep Cooper. I think that Meder knocked Kitch off of the roster.

Bowe - maybe he is done/over the hill or maybe he was put out there because he has been out so long and told to go 3/4 speed to get his muscles loose without pulling anything. We'll find out in a couple weeks.

Lenz - I felt it came down to Lenz and his ability to play S in a pinch vs Jennings and his special teams play. OF course if Jennings get cut as well then it'll be clear I was wrong.

Bowe hasn't practiced much this preseason, and certainly not with the 3rd strong QB. He appeared to get the "Miles Austin veteran program" this preseason.

He was open a number of times in the game against the Bears. However, the OL was just awful, and Lewis was lucky to get passes away at all on quite a number of plays.

Using that game to judge a WR's play is really unfair. I mean, we sat our #1-6 OL, and #7 throughout camp went on IR. That means we played out #8 and below OL in this game.

Bowe is going to make this team, because he was brought in to fill a specific role, and there is no reason to think that he cannot, or will not fill that role. He returned to full practice on the 22nd of August, so by the time we open the season on the 13th, he will have had over 3 weeks of full practice. How much more does a veteran need? Heck, many NFL players want camp cut to about that level anyway. He has also has mental reps, so he should know the offense inside out.

I see no way that Jennings makes the team. I have a hard time seeing Lenz making the team, even though I think that he has earned it. He would have to bump a special teams core player, like Moore. I don't know if that is possible. (though I think that I would do so, as long as we keep Bademosi for the gunner) One interesting thing that happened in game 4 is that Pryor showed some ability on special teams, which could keep him as the 3rd QB/WR/core special teams player, and maybe he knocks Moore off the team, and opens a spot for Lenz.

I think that there are some really hard decisions for the team coming up.