Browns: 5 most surprising players the team didn’t cut
By Chad Porto
The Browns made some surprising cuts, these weren’t some of them.
The Browns had to cut copious amounts of good talent this week. Some tough cuts had to be made, some questionable decisions were bound to happen and guys who had no business being retained were left on the roster.
Thankfully, that’s not a Browns-specific problem, as every team falls into that trapping every now and again. The Browns, for the most part, made the right moves to close out their preseason cuts.
That doesn’t mean that every move was the best choice and we’re going to look at five surprising names that weren’t cut.
Malik McDowell
There’s no doubt he’s a part of the team now. Malick McDowell is a man with an awful checkered past. He’s been arrested four times for a variety of offenses, all while getting bounced out of Seattle without ever playing a game for the Seahawks.
Andrew Berry, in his infinite wisdom, thought that McDowell, a man who’s never played NFL football before, would be a good fit on a team that is surging towards a new identity, one far away from the old one.
Yet, it feels like the same song and dance. A return to the likes of Josh Gordon all over again. Constant promises of “this time he’s changed”, a parade of excuses, like those given to Johnny Manziel, Kareem Hunt, or Kevin Porter Jr.
Who knows, maybe McDowell has turned his life around like Chris Carter. It’s possible. We don’t deny things that are possible over here. We accept all that could be. There are few guarantees in this world after all. McDowell might be the shiny bastion of hope, optimism, and talent we fans have always wanted. He also may be an albatross. Only time will tell.
Beyond the personal, the biggest concern is that he was told, in his own words that doctors told him he’d never be able to play football again. Not for foot issues, or shoulder issues, but because of head issues. While he had to get cleared, that doesn’t mean he isn’t a talent people have to be mindful of. Traumatic brain injuries are nothing to scoff at.
When doctor after doctor, in his own words, tells you it’s time to retire, this is a point of concern.
We all hope for the best with McDowell. We hope he’s gotten his act together. I know I do. It just feels like Berry is putting too much stress on the new culture of the Browns. It doesn’t take too much to destroy a team’s morale, I sure hope for Berry’s sake that McDowell is worth the risk.