Super Bowl 2014: A Look at Browns Connections in the Super Bowl, and Cleveland's Roster Makeup

Every year, the Cleveland Browns are bound to have at least one former player represented in the Super Bowl, and this year is no different. Outlined below are players, coaches, or front office personnel who were formerly members of the Browns.The parenthesis represent the time span they were with Cleveland.

At the end of the post, we will post a quick year-by-year look at the Browns' roster make up following the end of the season.

Former Browns on the Denver Broncos

• FS Mike Adams (2007-2011) - In his 10th NFL season, Adams has reached the promised land. Although Adams only spent four years with the Browns, he was a reliable veteran at the safety position and a high-character guy. Like Phil Dawson, he was one of those former Browns you could get behind to root for if he made it to a Super Bowl. Tony Grossi just posted a great interview with Adams, as he reflected on his time in Cleveland.
  
  
• C Steve Vallos (2010-2011) - Vallos played in a total of 8 games with the Browns, though none of them came as a starter. I believe all of his work came on special teams, a role he continued in his first year with the Broncos. Tony Grossi just posted a great interview with Adams, who reflected on his time in Cleveland.
  
  
• DE Hall Davis (2012-2013) - Davis played in two games during the 2012 season as a late pickup, and was in training camp this past season before being waived. Despite being a 5th-round pick in 2010, he is still practice squad eligible, and that's where he's at in Denver.
  
  
• Director of Pro Personnel, Tom Heckert (2010-2012) - Do fans still yearn for Heckert? He had a very good reputation while he was here and will be credited for the supplemental draft selection of WR Josh Gordon, but the 2012 NFL Draft of RB Trent Richardson and QB Brandon Weeden definitely didn't turn out to be his shining moment.
  
  
• Director of College Scouting, John Spytek (2010-2012) - Spytek seems to move along with Heckert.
  
  
• The Broncos have signed WR Jordan Norwood, OG Ryan Miller, LB L.J. Fort, and FS Eric Hagg to future contracts, meaning they will not be on the team until March 2014, and would not earn Super Bowl rings. All of those Browns being signed to future contracts in one place sounds like the handy work of Tom Heckert.

Former Browns on the Seattle Seahawks

• TE Kellen Davis (2013) - The Browns signed Davis this past offseason, and before we knew about the development of Jordan Cameron, the thought was out there that he could be a starter as a blocker. I wasn't fond of that because of his reputation of dropping passes in Chicago. It was a tad surprising that he was cut at the end of camp, but he caught on as a backup tight end with Seattle. His use in Seattle is as an extra blocker.
  
  
• OT Caylin Hauptmann (2013) - Cleveland kept a lot of young offensive linemen this year, despite not playing them. Hauptmann was one of the undrafted free agents that liked out of camp, so they stashed him on their practice squad...until the Seahawks claimed him to their active roster in late-September. Hauptmann has been inactive all year, but if the Seahawks win it all, he'll get a ring.
  
  
• CB Akeem Auguste (2013) - If you recall, Auguste was one of the undrafted free agent defensive backs who seemed like a borderline candidate to make the final roster out of training camp. In late November, the Seahawks signed Auguste to their practice squad after having worked him out in September.
  
  
• Quarterbacks Coach, Carl Smith (2001-2003, 2009) - Smith had two stints with the Browns, first with Butch Davis and then with Eric Mangini, guiding the likes of Tim Couch, Kelly Holcomb, Derek Anderson, and Brady Quinn. Now, he's been with Russell Wilson and prospering the past two years.
  
  
• Assistant Special Teams Coach, Nick Sorensen (2007-2010) - Sorensen was a leader of the Browns' special teams units for four years before suffering a serious neck injury in the preseason that pretty much ended his playing career. He also did some local broadcasting working on the Browns a couple of years ago.

Browns' Year-by-Year Roster Breakdown

Source: Cleveland Browns