The Cleveland Browns have released wide receiver Jaelen Strong. Strong was previously a member of the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jaelen Strong has been released by the Cleveland Browns. Strong took to Twitter Monday evening to break the news himself.
While many appear to be surprised by the move, it is really not all that surprising. Cleveland has Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins ahead of him to start the season. Antonio Callaway will return after his four game suspension, further burying him on the depth chart. Looking at non-wide receivers, David Njoku would be ahead of him as an option in the passing game. This does not even include the fact that the team will have Nick Chubb as the starting running back. Chubb will get his fair share of carries. Additionally, when Kareem Hunt returns that is even less opportunities for Strong to touch the ball.
Jaelen Strong may have impressed some during training camp and the preseason, there is just not room for him on the roster. Even if there was room, there is not really the opportunity to put together a season to get his career back on track.
Strong has only appeared in 20 out of a possible 48 games. A combination of injuries and a one-game suspension for a violation of the substance abuse policy has limited his time on the field. In his 20 games Strong has 31 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Strong is certainly talented and displayed some flashes of why Houston drafted him in the third round of 2015 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for Strong the Browns are not in a situation where they can take on a reclamation project at wide receiver. In previous seasons Cleveland has been that spot, but that is just not the case now. Hopefully Jaelen Strong can catch on somewhere else as his time with Browns has come to an end.
