Leon McFadden - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Cut Nate Burleson, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 5:31pm CST by Ben Levine

5:31pm: The Browns have confirmed the previous roster moves noted below in this post, and have announced their other 14 moves to reach the 53-man roster limit. Here’s the list of players cut from the active roster:

Josh Aubrey (DB)
Calvin Barnett (DL)
Zac Diles (LB)
Reid Fragel (OL)
MarQueis Gray (TE/FB)
Donald Hawkins (OL)
Emmanuel Ogbuehi (TE)
Alex Parsons (OL)
Abasi Salimu (OL)
Willie Snead (WR)
Isaiah Trufant (CB): Placed on injured reserve
Jamaal Westerman (LB)

Additionally, Josh Gordon and Marlon Moore have been placed on the reserve-suspended list.

1:20pm: The Browns have also let go of their third-round pick from last season, among other players:

Jacobbi McDaniel (DT) (via Ohio.com)
Leon McFadden (CB) (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Twitter)
Connor Shaw (QB) (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)

10:00am: The Browns have released veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports on Twitter. The 33-year-old signed with Cleveland in April after having spent the past four seasons with the Lions.

It wasn’t a sure thing that the veteran would make the roster, considering he’s only appeared in 15 games over the past two years. Burleson also hinted that he was considering retiring following the 2014 season. However, at the very least, Burleson was expected to be a veteran leader to the team’s group of young wideouts. As Brian McIntyre tweets, $285K of Burleson’s base salary is full guaranteed.

The Browns will also let go of running back Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Cabot (via Twitter). The 28-year-old has compiled 130 carries since joining the Browns in 2011.

The rest of the Browns moves will be listed below:

Nate Burleson (WR)
Chris Ogbonnaya (RB)
Dion Lewis (RB) (via ProFootballTalk.com on Twitter)
Garrett Gilkey (OG) (via Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter)
Justin Staples (OLB) (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)

AFC North Links: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

July 19th, 2014 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

When Anquan Boldin left the Ravens last offseason, it looked like former undrafted rookie Deonte Thompson could potentially step up and fill the void. However, the former Florida Gator struggled during his sophomore season. The wideout missed the first three games with a foot injury and was reportedly arrested in February (the case was dropped).

As a result, Thompson is trying to make up for lost time. With the odds stacked against him, the 25-year-old is hoping for a breakout season. Via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com…

“It’s a big year,” Thompson said. “I’m motivated, man. I’m so motivated. You can’t take anything for granted out here. You have to give it your all.

“It’s going to be a great competition, man. No doubt. The cream always rises to the top, so the best will definitely stick out.”

Thompson also touched on his disappointing 2013 season…

“Everything was going good and I felt like the sky was going to be the limit, then bam, I get hurt.

“When I got back, just catching back up and trying to get back in, the season’s already rolling and guys are plugged in. That really set me back.”

Thompson certainly has some competition for a roster spot. Besides shoo-ins Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Marlon Brown and Jacoby Jones, he’ll also have to compete with Jeremy Butler, Michael Campanaro and LaQuan Williams.

Let’s check out some more news from the AFC North…

If Ray Rice is suspended, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley thinks that would “increase the chances” of veteran running back Justin Forsett making the Ravens.
Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and safety Taylor Mays are among the roster “bubble” players heading into Bengals training camp, writes ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey.
If the Bengals decide to keep Green-Ellis, Harvey could see the team keeping James Wilder Jr. as a possible replacement. By redshirting Wilder, the team could then turn to the bruising running back when Green-Ellis’s contract expires at the end of 2014.
Brandon Tate could be a notable cut by the Bengals, Harvey writes in his roster prediction. Adam Jones is expected to be more involved in the return game while Dane Sanzenbacher appears to be a better option at wideout. The presence of that duo could make Tate expendable.
The Browns‘ 2013 third-round pick might not stick around for a second year. Leon McFadden could be the odd man out in the cornerback rotation, and ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon omits him from his theoretical roster.
Depending on fourth-round pick Martavis Bryant‘s ability to contribute, Scott Brown of ESPN.com says that the Steelers could potentially hold on to six receivers. That final spot would likely go to veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey, who Brown currently has as the odd man out.

Sunday Roundup: Jags, Colts, Graham

June 22nd, 2014 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s round up some of today’s links from around the league:

As our Luke Adams noted earlier this month, the Jaguars do not know when Justin Blackmon will be reinstated by the league. The team does not expect Blackmon to contribute in 2014, and they are distancing themselves from even talking about the troubled wideout, writes Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union. Even friends, teammates, and ex-coaches are finding it difficult to get a read on where Blackmon is and how his recovery is progressing.
Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida-Times Union writes that the ulnar nerve damage that Jaguars‘ jack-of-all-trades Denard Robinson suffered through last season is behind him, so he hopes to put his full skill-set on display in 2014.
In the same piece, O’Halloran adds that the Jaguars are likely to keep three tight ends on their roster, and with Marcedes Lewis and Clay Harbor as locks to make the team, the competition between Brandon Barden, Marcel Jensen, Reggie Jordan and D.J. Tialavea will be a fascinating one to watch.
John Keim of ESPN.com explains why he is impressed with Redskins‘ outside linebackers coach Brian Baker.
Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if Ravens‘ wide receiver Jeremy Butler can become this year’s Marlon Brown: an undrafted gem that unexpectedly turns into a legitimate threat in the passing game.
Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com gives a list of five Ravens that will be “feeling the heat” this summer.
In a photo gallery, The Detroit Free Press projects the Lions‘ starters on both sides of the ball.
Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns will try to add another receiver or two, and she writes that if quarterback Connor Shaw impresses in training camp as he did in OTAs and minicamp, the team may have to keep him on the 53-man roster rather than put him on the practice squad and risk his being signed by another club.
George Thomas of The Akron Beacon-Journal describes the battle for playing time that Browns‘ cornerback Leon McFadden–who was projected to be a starter in his rookie season in 2013–now faces after the influx of talent in the team’s secondary.
In a two-part mailbag, Mike Wells of ESPN.com looks at a number of Colts-related items. He writes that, although the team will not hand a starting job to Mike Adams, he would not be surprised to see Adams starting alongside LaRon Landry at safety. Wells also notes that GM Ryan Grigson does not plan on using all of the team’s $13.7MM in salary cap space because he wants to have room to pay Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton down the road.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the league wants the Saints to settle Jimmy Graham‘s grievance case, and Florio believes the team would be wise to do so.