The Browns have made a flurry of roster moves in response to the injuries
suffered by the team during Sunday's game with the Cowboys.
As expected, the Browns moved starting defensive end Courtney Brown to the
injured reserve due to the ligament tear in his left foot. Although the
prognosis for Brown's recovery is good, it will take at least six months for the
torn ligament to heal.
To replace him, the Browns have re-signed defensive end Tyrone Rogers, who
was with the team from 1999 through last season. The defensive end was a free
agent at the end of 2003 and was not re-signed by the Browns. Rogers will go
directly to the active roster.
While Kellen Winslow is not on the IR, indicating that the Browns have some
hope that he will return this season, the team has signed Chad Mustard to
fortify the roster at tight end. Mustard was with the Browns in 2002 and 2003,
including a stint in NFL Europe in 2002. He was released in the final cut-downs
in September along with TE Darnell Sanders. The Browns now have three injured
tight ends: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, and Keith Heinrich, who is on the PUP
list for the next month at least.
To make room on the roster, the Browns released RB Dee Brown. Brown was the
team's primary kick returner through last weekend's game, where a bobbled kick
led to a desperate offensive series with the team's back to the goal line.
It is possible to infer two things from the release of Browns. One is that RB
Lee Suggs is inching closer to a return, reducing the need to carry four backs
on the roster. The other is that the team hasn't found what they consider to be
fair trading value for James Jackson, who will remain the third running back
until the end of the season.
See Also:
Active
Roster |
Transactions
| Practice Squad
/ IR |
Depth
Chart