The Five Most Interesting Undrafted Players for the Browns
May 16, 2014Unsolicited observations: Cleaning up Santana’s swoon, Jesus is here, Bourn problems and more
May 16, 2014Well, that was quick and a bit surprising. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports on Friday morning that the Browns have released wide receiver Greg Little.
Browns have released WR Greg Little.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2014
Little was the team’s second-round pick in the 2011 draft out of North Carolina. In three seasons, he averaged 52 catches, 607 yards and three touchdowns. But his numbers (catches and total yards) dropped each year and his struggles with drops were a constant topic.
Just a week ago, Little was No. 1 atop the Browns’ receiving depth chart, alongside new slot receiver Andrew Hawkins. Then, the team added veteran free agents Earl Bennett and Miles Austin, who both have been inconsistent and had their share of injuries over the past few years. The team must feel confident enough in at least one of them to make this move.
Certainly, I wouldn’t have been surprised by this announcement last month. But with Josh Gordon’s likely suspension, I would’ve expected the team to at least hold on to Little for one final chance. Bennett and Austin are wild cards anyway; is Little that much riskier?
Overall though, I’ll state that I’m a bit more confident than most about the Browns’ receiving corps. With Jordan Cameron in tow, the Browns have an elite tight end capable of making some really outstanding plays. Then, there’s Hawkins, a very solid slot guy. They have several solid running backs in Ben Tate, Edwin Baker, Dion Lewis, Terrance West and more. Yes, there’s no easy way to replace Gordon; what other team in the NFL could do so easily?
Now, it’s down to Austin, Bennett and whoever else gets a chance to step up. A strange offseason continues to be strange.
82 Comments
Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey; Goodbye. (Repeat as many times as you feel necessary.)
A good move in my book. I wasn’t a fan of Greg Little when they drafted him and I wasn’t a fan of his play with the Browns. I was annoyed with his showboating after making routine plays in games where his team was losing big. He was a running back in a wide receiver’s body, which it turns out isn’t very useful. I feel pretty certain that if his snaps had gone to Tori Gurley, Gurley probably would have put up the same numbers as Little if not better. I don’t wish the guy any ill will, but I’m obviously fine with him being cut.
A good move in my book. I wasn’t a fan of Greg Little when they drafted him and I wasn’t a fan of his play with the Browns. I was annoyed with his showboating after making routine plays in games where his team was losing big. He was a running back in a wide receiver’s body, which it turns out isn’t very useful. I feel pretty certain that if his snaps had gone to Tori Gurley, Gurley probably would have put up the same numbers as Little if not better. I don’t wish the guy any ill will, but I’m obviously fine with him being cut.
Dang. Guess he’ll have that break out year with someone else. Or get a shot at running back. Or something.
In the crowded ranks of Browns second round busts, he’s right up there. Not Veikune up there but pretty elevated. Biggest problem is that he can’t run routes, can’t get open, can’t hang onto the ball. In other words, he played the receiving position “Like a Brown.” Almost any post-99 Brown not named Gordon.
Dang. Guess he’ll have that break out year with someone else. Or get a shot at running back. Or something.
In the crowded ranks of Browns second round busts, he’s right up there. Not Veikune up there but pretty elevated. Biggest problem is that he can’t run routes, can’t get open, can’t hang onto the ball. In other words, he played the receiving position “Like a Brown.” Almost any post-99 Brown not named Gordon.
Never saw any sign that he was a running back.
Never saw any sign that he was a running back.
Maybe the Browns should try trading out of the second round in future drafts, but let’s see how Bitonio turns out. Then again, the best 2nd round pick since 99 has to be DQ Jackson.
Maybe the Browns should try trading out of the second round in future drafts, but let’s see how Bitonio turns out. Then again, the best 2nd round pick since 99 has to be DQ Jackson.
Yet another in a long line of wasted Browns draft picks.
Yet another in a long line of wasted Browns draft picks.
BOOM!
BOOM!
🙂
🙂
He played it in college. It was his better position, in my opinion, although I don’t think he could have played that position in the NFL either.
He played it in college. It was his better position, in my opinion, although I don’t think he could have played that position in the NFL either.
Yeah I’m glad they finally cut bait. There’s no reason why we can’t pull a capable WR off of our pile. Every year other teams find guys ala Keenan Allen or a Miles Austin (2009 version w hammys intact). Why couldn’t it be a Charles Johnson or Gurley or other?
Yeah I’m glad they finally cut bait. There’s no reason why we can’t pull a capable WR off of our pile. Every year other teams find guys ala Keenan Allen or a Miles Austin (2009 version w hammys intact). Why couldn’t it be a Charles Johnson or Gurley or other?
mgbode had a nice insight – I believe in his article on kanicki’s blog – about the fruitlessness of drafting WRs in the second round. Other than Kevin Johnson, who could be considered, at best, a marginal success, it’s been a wasteland for WRs (can’t really count Josh Gordon, as his drug issues relegated a first-round talent to a second-round supplemental pick). In that light, perhaps wise that Farmer elected to sure up the line in the second round instead of grabbing a Marquise Lee-type receiver
Ugh, this and Hit the Road Jack are the worst thing in sports. Yes the worst.
Couldn’t help but to drop that in. Kind of like how Little couldn’t help the QB by him dropping passes pretty much every game.
Little was picked by a front office three regimes back and has underperformed (to say the least) so I guess this isn’t a huge surprise. Like many fans, he was one of my least favorite players for so many reasons (bad hands, big mouth, underachiever and proud of it…). Still, given the weakness of the WR portion on the Browns roster, he could have at least been a candidate for “one more chance.”
Perhaps Pettine and his no-nonsense approach is behind this? If it leads to greater accountability with the roster as a whole, then I’m all for it.
Not gonna lie, I’m pretty happy about this. He may have had some redeeming qualities, but drops kill drives. You can’t give away downs in the NFL. It’s hard enough to run a successful play and get an open man with time to throw it to him. If the play works and the QB delivers the ball on time, you HAVE to come away with yards. And I’d argue it’s even more vital in this new, more pass-happy league. I’d rather have a WR with only decent size and only average athleticism who runs great routes and has great hands every time.
Besides that, it may be a bad idea to have a run-happy young quarterback lose faith that his WR’s are going to come down with the ball.
Should have read:
Browns Drop WR Greg Little.
I’ll have to look up mgbode’s piece. But Travis Wilson wasn’t exactly third-round magic, and since ’99 they’ve tried a bunch of big rangy late-round picks and street FAs that, like Little, have the measurables but just can’t play football. Maybe you find big physical receivers in the first round, and smaller skilled route runners off the street. Pre-’99, Belichik found Keenan Mccardell for nothing, and he had a great career and a pro bowl appearance. And I thought Jordan Norwood was the most technically proficient receiver we’ve had recently and could have helped if he could stay healthy.
Now that would be payback
agree with all of this. Michael Irvin correctly says: a defensive coordinator can defend great receivers down the field and across it but cannot defend vertically. But that’s meaningless if the tall receiver has bad hands. And he had plenty of trouble releasing off the snap and being where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. He never had competition for a starting position and in 3 seasons of starting never got any better, never stopped rounding his routes. Enough.
The WR corps is fine sans Gordon:
1. Austin
2. Hawkins
3. Bennett
4. Benjamin
5. Cooper
And don’t forget that Cameron usually lines up in the slot in 3WR and 4WR sets. It’s not as bad as it seems. Bye, bye, Little.
That’s scary, not fine. Austin is hurt every year, Hawkins is a slot guy, Benjamin is unproven even as a slot guy, Burleson is 32 and keeps breaking his arm, Cooper is the last guy on a meh roster. I expect them to swing a trade or wait until final cuts to get one solid, healthy and reliable veteran. The current list will endanger the QB.
I wish the headline was “Browns drop Greg Little”
So Chudzinski was allegedly let go because he refused to bench/cut Greg Little. Glad to see the new regime learned from that.
This tells me the new organization knows what they’re doing, and won’t settle for subpar performance. It’s the right message to send just before mini-camp, and also opens up a roster spot for a young, hungry WR who can actually catch a football. It’ll be interesting to see where Little ends up now.
You forgot a few:
Tori Gurley
Charles Johnson
Chandler Jones
Jonathan Krause
Conner Vernon
Nate Burleson
Kenny Shaw
Willie Snead
Count Dennis Northcutt as a marginal success too. Overall, I agree though. If 2nd round WRs are lottery tickets or guys with one elite skill. Northcutt = quickness, Andre Davis = speed, Quincy Morgan = hands (I kid) then perhaps it makes sense to prioritize other positions there.
Greg Little’s inability to get separation killed the last three QBs we had.
I agree that this is a scary thin position. At the same time, keeping Little wouldn’t have helped. I’m fine with cutting him loose.
I am disappointed there were only 2 drops (word drop) in the article…cmon baby, you are better than that Jacob
And re-sign just to drop again
Good Lord… Has anyone called Mary Kay to make sure she is still breathing?
Completely agree, and I’d add that he also was consistently among the worst starting wide receivers when it came to yards-after-catch. The guy couldn’t break a tackle to save his life. If he was 5’9″ and skinny with the same production, same lack of YAC, and same drops, would he ever have stuck on any team this long?
Ha haaaaa, get out that Featured Comment Trophy boys, we have a winner.
Ahem…
Oops, I dropped the ball on that one, RGB. You get the hardware!
I am surprised by this. While I certainly didn’t expect Little to get any better, he’s more physically gifted than the UDFA’s and he has a number of years in the league. I would have thought they’d keep him around for depth purposes at least.
It’s a bummer. I always wanted to like Little. But he has the worst worst hands.
I had one already, but I can’t for the life of me remember for what, so max can have it. lol
You should have won a slew of them for all the draft gifs.
The Browns new FO waits for MCK to write something, then does the exact opposite. Perfect recipe for success!
The NBA Draft Lottery is coming up. lol
ANDRE JOHNSON!!! (surprised there hasn’t been more completely unsubstantiated rumors about that one)