Browns Roster Cuts: No Surprises as Cleveland Gets Down to 68 Players

So far, I haven't gotten anything wrong on my 53-man roster projection for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns cut seven players Friday night, trimming their roster from 75 players to 68 players. The team still has to make 14 more moves to get down to 53 players by Saturday at 6:00 PM EST (WR Josh Gordon will be on the suspension list as the 15th move).

Here are the seven players the Browns waived on Friday:

• RB Miguel Maysonet - He ran the ball 13 times for 30 yards in the preseason, with most of the action coming in the first two games. He never showed off any form of an "X-factor," and his playing time was basically reduced to nothing after the team signed RB Jamaine Cook for the final two games (funny enough, when Cleveland originally claimed Maysonet off waivers, Cook was the guy they let go).
  
  
• C Braxston Cave - After the draft, this looked like a "find" for Cleveland, as he was projected by some to be a 5th- or 6th-round pick. I thought he'd be the backup center in training camp, but that gig went to Jarrod Shaw instead. Cave hardly saw the field, so I never really got the chance to form a camp opinion of him.
  
  
• WR Mike Edwards - Out of all the receivers in camp (minus the injured Naaman Roosevelt), Edwards always seemed to be the last person in to get reps. It's not a surprise to see him go, although he did survive until the final preseason game compared to several other receivers.
  
  
• TE Dan Gronkowski - This is the only veteran of the group; the other six players were undrafted free agents. As much of a fan I was of Gronkowski (partially because it would've been awesome if he morphed into Rob Gronkowski), the coaches always had him near the bottom of the depth chart. At least he got the highlight of a touchdown catch in the final preseason game.
  
  
• S Kent Richardson - With Josh Aubrey coming on strong this training camp and the Browns having Jamoris Slaughter to consider keeping/cutting, there weren't enough spots to keep a guy like Richardson, who had a fair but rather uneventful camp. No more Kent/Trent Richardson confusion, though!
  
  
• CB Abdul Kanneh - The Browns had a pretty good tandem of third-string cornerbacks in Akeem Auguste and Kanneh. Between the two, it was apparent that the coaching staff favored Auguste, though, so Kanneh's departure is no surprise.
  
  
• P Colton Schmidt - This might be a surprise to people who thought he would unseat Spencer Lanning, but based on how the Browns handled the special teams situation in the final preseason game, my confidence that Lanning would make the roster grew big time. Unless Cleveland finds someone with experience on waivers, Lanning can feel like he's won the punter job for the second time in as many weeks.

Stay tuned to Dawgs By Nature on Saturday, as that is the day there are bound to be a few more surprising moves. And, if you haven't already, weigh in on my 53-man roster projection.