[road doggy dogg]

To play a bit of devil's advocate here...

If there is one area that could be described as a "strength" on the Cleveland Browns, it would be their offensive line. With their line, Richardson simply wasn't getting it done. Given his draft pedigree and relative lack of success at the pro level, it could be argued that his value will never be as high as it is now (or at any point prior), so "cutting bait" on him now as opposed to getting much less of a return for a player they didn't want down the road makes sense.

Also keep in mind he was drafted in 2011, they have an entirely new front office staff top to bottom who may not have wanted a player like Richardson in their plans. It is very typically seen when a team cuts loose a QB that doesn't "fit" the system; why should a RB be any different?

RB is a position that is not terribly difficult to fill. Again, being that they have a good O-line, finding a good back to fit their blocking scheme shouldn't be terribly difficult. There are many holes on the roster that a 1st round pick definitely has more "value" than a good runningback does. Anyone who's read Lombardi on NFL.com or listened to him on the BS Report is familiar with his "blue chip player" mentality. It's possible he simply doesn't feel that Richardson is a blue chip player and he feels that the 1st round pick they received from Indy can potentially be a blue chipper at another position on their roster.


Plus, there's probably a bit of tanking for Clowney/Bridgewater involved as well. Who knows. Again, I'd give Lombardi the benefit of the doubt here.

The timing is odd though, seeing as Brian Hoyer ( ) is starting this week and they'll need to lean heavily on the running game.
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