The Cleveland Browns were considered winners of the first day of the NFL Draft, when they came away with defensive end Myles Garrett, safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku.
Two days later, they seem to have returned to being the Browns.
With the 185th pick of the draft, the first of the sixth round, Cleveland selected Caleb Brantley, a defensive tackle from Florida. Brantley was available this late in the draft primarily because earlier this month he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly punching a woman in the face and knocking her unconscious.
By selecting Brantley, the Browns seemed to indicate they weren’t too troubled by Brantley’s arrest. Except that when asked about that very subject, general manager Sashi Brown said, “It may be something we can’t get comfortable with.”
#Browns Sashi Brown on Caleb Brantley: "It may be something we can't get comfortable with.''
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 29, 2017
According to NFL.com, the Browns “deeply researched the matter and personally visited with Brantley” before picking him Saturday. That naturally raises the question, if you read up on Brantley so carefully, why are you now “uncomfortable?”
If the Browns decide tomorrow that they can’t get comfortable with Brantley and his history, then what? They’ll release him?
Most likely, the Browns’ GM is trying to soften the PR hit of drafting someone who less than a month ago allegedly assaulted a woman half his size. Either that or they picked a player not knowing if they were actually willing to keep him.
Either way, seems like a very “Browns” thing to do.
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About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.