Lennie Friedman Cut - Browns Get Draft Pick Back?

UPDATE: There is a chance that Friedman may have been cut, only to re-sign with the Browns under a new deal.

Before even getting to know him, we had to say goodbye. The Browns terminated the contract of center Lennie Friedman late Monday night, making him the team's final cut before today's deadline. In case you don't remember, the Browns acquired Friedman on Thursday for a seventh-round draft pick. At the time, the pick was undisclosed, and reports are now indicating that it was a conditional seventh-rounder. The condition meant that we would only have to give up the draft pick if Friedman made the final 53-man roster to begin the season. Obviously, that will not be the case now, as Friedman has been sent to the waiver wire. He will not return to the Chicago Bears unless they choose to claim him off waivers.

Now, what does this mean? I'm surprised, because I thought Friedman would end up making our final roster, and we'd simply cut Alonzo Ephraim after Week 4. Looking back at the past few weeks, have we really seen any glaring weaknesses at the center position? Granted, we're not mauling anyone, but how often have Ross Tucker, Alonzo Ephraim, or Rob Smith made a play go terribly wrong? Not very often, except for a few bad snaps when can partially be attributed to QB Derek Anderson. Now, without question, I'm still concerned about the regular season, when the real pressure will be on. Will our centers be able to do the same then?

One major story yesterday came when the Tennessee Titans signed QB Kerry Collins as their backup quarterback. Yes, I'm just as surprised as many people around the league were. First off, the Titans will not be contending this year in all likelihood. Billy Volek isn't a full-time starter in my opinion, but that's why he was supposed to begin the season and wait for Vince Young to take over later in the year. Now, with Collins, who has a lot of starting experience, you never know if the Titans would be willing to shop Volek now. I don't think they will, but in the end, I see no legitimate reason for them to sign Collins. And, in case you're wondering, I do not think the Browns should try to trade for Volek. Volek was ready to start, and if he came the Cleveland, there would be too many fans calling for him to start the second that Charlie Frye struggles. Aren't we sick of those quarterback controversy's too? First it was Couch/Holcomb, then Holcomb/Garcia, then Dilfer/Frye. Finally, this year, we're settled on a starter, so let's make sure it stays that way. What if Frye gets injured? Once all the cuts are made, there will be plenty of people (i.e. Rob Johnson) floating around in case we need them.