On September 26th just days after their loss to the Eagles the Cleveland Browns made their first list of cuts including nine players. Many of which we did not expect to make the team, however there was one surprise on the list. WR Carlton Mitchell who has worked hard in Cleveland has been cut. I always found him (despite battling injuries) to be an excellent athlete who simply has not gotten the opportunity to show what he can do on the field. Below is a complete list of players cut from the Browns as of 8/26.

·       Jake Anderson (OT)

·       Owen Spencer (WR)

·       Jermaine Safford (WR)

·       Carlton Mitchell (WR)

·       Bert Reed (WR)

·       Spencer Lanning (P)

·       JoJo Dickson (LB)

·       Emanuel Davis (DB)

·       Matt Cleveland (T)

Other than Carlton Mitchell and perhaps LB JoJo Dickson I was not surprised by this list. For example I knew after the first preseason game that WR Owen Spencer would be one of the first to go.

The real question is who is next?

Injuries and performance will determine the remainder of the roster as it gets whittled down to the final 53 players. In addition the QB situation has yet to be straightened out. Weeden for better or worse will be the Browns Starter. But by all accounts Colt McCoy has outplayed Seneca Wallace as the Browns number two QB. Add to the mix that Wallace himself has expressed his desire to be traded or cut if he were to become the 3rd string backup. And let’s not forget Thad Lewis who has looked well this preseason. Is the team still shopping McCoy around the league? Or have they perhaps put out feelers on the idea of unloading Wallace?

In addition FB Owen Merecic is in a battle for his position with Brad Smelley performing at a high level. Will this team keep two fullbacks? CB’s Trevin Wade, Buster Skrine, and David Simms have all shown they can play at this level. So what does that mean for James Dockery? Simms may be a safety but he does have the size and versatility to play corner as well. When you have a utility player like him you can focus on ensuring other areas of depth in your roster. In the Browns case the Defensive front seven which has had a number of unfortunate injuries and bad luck.

And let us not forget there are countless scouts watching other cut lists in combing through players in the hopes we may get lucky and find a gem. James Harrison of the Steelers for example was cut several times in his career before become the Pro Bowler and force of nature he is today.

GM’s like Tom Heckert will tell you that sometimes hard choices need to be made and sometimes good players must be let go. It is the teams that do their homework and find those players who could succeed for you. Ronnie Cameron the DT from Old Dominion was cut by the Bears and 5 teams immediately jumped at the chance to grab him. We have already seen flashes of why he was coveted.

So even though these players were cut on Sunday, the next deadline looms closer and choices will only get harder.

Who do you see on the cutting block next?