The Browns have released 32-year old long snapper Ryan Pontbriand.  Pontbriand played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Browns this year.  He has played in 134 games (0 starts) for the Browns in his nine years with the team.  He was waived for costing the Browns good shots to win against the Rams and Bengals with terrible snaps that caused kicker Phil Dawson to miss some field goals.  The Browns have signed 23-year old long snapper Christian Yount to replace Pontbriand.  Yount is a rookie out of UCLA.  He has played in 7 games (0 starts) already this year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Browns have waived 27-year old RB Thomas Clayton.  Clayton played in 3 games for the Browns this year and he carried the ball 8 times for 12 yards (1.5 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 3 yards.  Clayton played in 5 games in 2 years with the Browns and he carried the ball 9 times for 12 yards (1.3 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 3 yards.  The Browns won’t miss Clayton at all as Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty are ready to return this weekend against the Bengals.

The Cleveland Browns have waived 23-year old WR Brian Robiskie.  Robiskie played in six games for the Browns this year and he caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  He played in 31 games in his three years with the Browns and he caught 39 passes for 441 yards (11.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This is absolutely no loss for the Cleveland Browns as Robiskie was down right pathetic.

UPDATE:  (11/3/2011) – The Jaguars have claimed Robiskie off waivers.

The Browns have released 25-year old RB Armond Smith.  Smith played in 3 games for the Browns this year and he had 3 carries for 2 yards (0.7 ypc).  He also had 1 tackle this year for the Browns.  Smith had a solid pre-season for the Browns which helped him make the team, but that is where the magic stopped.  Chris Ogbonnaya’s recent signing doomed Smith.

UPDATE:  (10/21/2011) – Smith has cleared waivers and the Browns have re-signed him to the practice squad.

The Browns have released 29-year old linebacker Eric Alexander.  Alexander played in 5 games for the Browns last year and he had 6 tackles and he forced 2 fumbles.  Alexander has now played in 53 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 57 tackles and 3 forced fumbles.  Alexander has been little more than a special teams player in his career so the Browns won’t miss him too much.

The Cleveland Browns have released 36-year old QB Jake Delhomme.  Delhomme played in 5 games (4 starts) for the Browns last year and he completed 93 of 149 passes (62.4%) for 872 yards with 2 TD passes and 7 INTs (63.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for -2 yards (-0.3 ypc) last year.  The Browns were somehow 2-2 (50%) as the starting QB for the Browns last year but that was a fluke.  The Browns just couldn’t justify paying a #3 QB what Delhomme was scheduled to make in 2011.  They will go forward with Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace at QB.

The Browns have released 31-year old DE Kenyon Coleman.  Coleman played in 16 games for the Browns last season and he had 68 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and he recovered 3 fumbles.  In his two years with the Browns, Coleman played in 29 games in which he had 106 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 4 sacks.  Coleman was another of Eric Mangini’s guys but he was actually a starter so he will be harder to replace than Eric Barton or David Bowens will be.

The Cleveland Browns have released 33-year old outside linebacker David Bowens.  Bowens played in 15 games for the Browns last season and he had 40 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 6 passes defensed and 2 interceptions that he returned a combined 94 yards for 2 TDs.  Bowens played in 31 games in two years with the Browns and he had 111 tackles, 11 passes defensed, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 3 interceptions.  Bowens was the single biggest reason for the win over the Saints last season but he didn’t do a whole lot in the other 14 games he played in.  Bowens is another former Jets’ player (a.k.a. A Eric Mangini Guy) who has been let go.

The Cleveland Browns have released 33-year old linebacker Eric Barton.  Barton played in all 16 games for the Browns last season and he had 64 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  Barton played in 24 games in his two years with the Browns and he had 124 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  Barton was one of “Eric Mangini’s Boys” that came over from the Jets and the Browns are looking in a new direction.  So it makes perfect sense that Barton will be looking for a new job in 2011.

The Cleveland Browns have released 31-year old tight end Robert Royal.  Royal played in 15 games for the Browns last season and he caught 5 passes for 56 yards (11.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Royal played in 28 games in his two years with the Browns and he caught 16 passes for 190 yards (11.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Browns will move foward with Ben Watson & Evan Moore at TE, so they won’t miss Royal at all in 2011.