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Browns Make Four Waiver Claims

Browns Claim OL Ryan Seymour, OL Caylin Hauptman, RB Glenn Winston, and WR LaRon Byrd off waivers.

By Tim A. Miller
Browns snag LaRon Byrd and three others on waivers.
Browns snag LaRon Byrd and three others on waivers.
Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Caylin Hauptmann: The Browns claimed the offensive lineman off waivers from the Seahawks. Hauptmann originally signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He did not make the team, was signed to our practice squad, and then was signed off our practice squad by the Seahawks. According to Seahawks.com, he did not see the field there and was on their inactive list in the playoffs and all but three regular season games. He entered the league at 6'3" 300 pounds, which sounds like the height and weight of slightly undersized guard. In fact, Hauptmann is not a guard but an offensive tackle and he served as the Seahawks third string LT this preseason. His build is strikingly similar to Steelers' starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum, who is also 6'3" ~300 pounds: long legs, long arms, and a disproportionately short torso.

That's right, I'm telling you that 6'3" Caylin Hauptman was signed to be a backup offensive tackle, not a guard. In the video below, he is #71 at LT. As you can see, he has a balanced pass set and active arms to fight off edge rushers. He's not an elite athlete and is not very rangy in his kick slide, but he keeps him feet under him, avoids lunging, and maintains his balance. This allows him to effectively protect against inside and outside rushes -- though he is vulnerable to elite speed rushers -- which makes him a considerable upgrade over McQuistan and Wallace at tackle -- who struggle tremendously with lunging, getting off balance, and whiffing on blocks -- where he should serve as the primary backup. Hauptman can operate adequately on the front or backside of outside zone runs, but he doesn't have the feet or bend to be effective maneuvering for position off the snap inside or for leaking up to the second level and making blocks in space, so he should be behind Seymour and McQuistan at guard.

Ryan Seymour: The Browns claimed the offensive lineman off waivers from the 49ers. He is a second year player out of Vanderbilt who spent his first season on the Seahawks' practice squad. Seymour played guard at Vanderbilt and that is his primary position in the NFL.

As you can see in the following video, Ryan Seymour -- #62 at LG vs. Georgia and then LT vs. Tennessee -- is an athletic and well-coordinated guard with good balance to move in space as well as decent feet and quickness to gain initial position off the snap. Seymour is an effective positional blocker on outside zone runs with the ability to stay under control at the second level and locate and adjust to linebackers and defensive backs in space. He does, however, have trouble bending and a bad tendency to lean too far forward which can cause him to fall off or whiff on blocks. He is not a rangy pass protector and only should see action at tackle in dire circumstances. Overall he appears to be a capable backup zone guard with some upside.

LaRon Byrd:

In May, Bryan Broaddus had a scouting report on WR LaRon Byrd. He reports that Byrd contributed in kickoff coverage and as a blocker on kickoff and punt returns.

Glenn Winston: Here's a few videos of Winston, one showing a few of his carries from the fourth preseason game, another showing off his pass catching ability (at least in practice drills):


Roster Cuts:

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