What does three years of service and strong, but unspectacular, play get a veteran within the Cleveland Browns organization? Apparently, a messy release from the team.
On Monday, former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Paul Kruger was cut by the Browns. He took to Twitter to thank the fans, his teammates, and the owners of the Browns.
However, Kruger also had a few choice words for those in charge of football operations in his goodbye statement.
Kruger came to the Browns three years ago, hoping to solidify a pass rush in need of some serious help. It was a big-money free agency move and one that has failed to live up to the five-year, $50 million deal signed prior to the 2013 season.
He opened his time in Cleveland by posting just 4.5 sacks, but followed it up with a career-high 11 sacks during the 2014 season. However, Kruger couldn’t sustain that level in 2015 and ended last season with just 2.5 sacks to his name.
There were a slew of moves this offseason designed to correct the pass rushing situation, and Kruger had to of seen the move to release him coming. He clearly didn’t appreciate how it all went down on the first day of cuts.
Will it affect his ability to catch on with another team? Given his veteran status and NFL teams always on the look out for pass-rushing options, he’s likely to catch on somewhere. It just may take an extra step or two to convince said team.