When it’s all said and done, the Cleveland Browns 2014 roster will be night-and-day from what it was a year ago. The Browns announced today the release of linebacker Paul Hazel, wide receivers Davone Bess and Brian Tyms. Bess was the one that everyone saw coming sooner than later.
If someone would have told me a year ago before the 2013 season started that the Browns would release Bess the very next year, I would have thought they were crazy. But, only in Cleveland could a guy that averaged more than 60 receptions per year for the last five years and was the ultimate go-to guy for the Miami Dolphins – fail miserably with the Browns.
The all-of-the-sudden troubled Bess just fell off the deep end. He tweeted and posted pictures on Instagram of things athletes shouldn’t post. Towards the end of the season, Bess tweeted out a picture of what appeared to be a marijuana joint (twice) and then on January 18th, he posted a picture of himself completely naked in his bathroom. Are you kidding me?
The Browns were awarded Hazel in August of 2013 from the Jacksonville Jaguars after final cuts. The 23-year-old made three combination tackles for the Browns in 13 games played.
Signed off the Dolphins’ practice squad late in the season, Tyms caught two passes for Cleveland in seven games. The release of Bess and Tyms leaves the Browns with Josh Gordon, Greg Little, Josh Cooper, and Travis Benjamin on the active roster. Receivers Tori Gurley, Connor Vernon, and Charles Johnson are all on the reserve list.
Knowing that as of this moment, those seven players make up the Cleveland receiving corps – are you comfortable with that? God forbid anything happen to the superstar “Flash” Gordon. This is why I feel Sammy Watkins may be the best and safest pick at four for the Browns in the upcoming draft.
Ryan Ruiz is the Cleveland Browns Beat Writer for The Inscriber: Digital Magazine. You can follow him on Facebook: Ryan (BrownsWriter) Ruiz and Twitter @ryanpruiz24. Ryan is also a Browns correspondent for The Sportsfix. Tune in every Friday at noon on www.thesportsfix.net. Email Ryan at ryan.ruiz@theinscribermag.com
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