Browns release Sheldon Richardson

The Cleveland Browns made the very puzzling decision to release the veteran defensive tackle.

Not every move the Cleveland Browns make is going to get universal praise and this is one of them. The Browns made a controversial move and decided to release Sheldon Richardson on Friday.

This move comes in the wake of signing oft-injured and mildly productive Jadeveon Clowney. What this appears to be is overvaluing Jadeveon Clowney at the expense of Sheldon Richardson. Not only is Richardson a better and more productive player than Clowney, he does not have the lengthy injury history as well. With these moves the Browns truly added someone who should be nothing more than situational pass rusher at the expense of a reliable and productive interior defensive lineman.

Here’s the problem. Outside of Myles Garrett, Sheldon Richardson has been the most effective defensive lineman on the roster. And the fact that his effectiveness comes up the middle gave the Browns defense a different avenue in which to pressure opposing offenses. While the Browns are anticipating the growth of Jordan Elliott along with the debuts of Andrew Billings and Malik Jackson, they are not nearly the disruptor that Sheldon Richardson is. Cleveland is going to need to figure out to generate pressure from the interior, because there is not anyone that possesses that the skill set of the now departed Richardson.

At the end of the day Cleveland decided to favor a player that they shouldn’t have in the first place. Now an area that the team may have addressed in the draft if things ended up the right way turned into a must address. The interior of their defensive line is now a need and considering they were not great in that area beforehand this is not a great spot to be in.

Will the signing of Jadeveon Clowney at the expense of Sheldon Richardson be worth it? Time will tell, but the track records of both players indicate that the player who is no longer in Cleveland was the better option.