Browns waive Gary Barnidge

Less than a day after trading up for Miami tight end David Njoku at the end of the first round,the Cleveland Browns didn't wait long to show that they are all in with their new tight end as veteran Gary Barnidge was quickly released well before the beginning of the second round.

Barnidge had his career year in 2015 with 79 catches,9 touchdowns and finished with over 1,000 yards receiving,but saw his numbers drop in the Hue Jackson office to just over 600 yards and with a large cap number due to a deal that Barnidge signed after the 2015 season,the decision to turn the position over to the drafted Nkoju and 2015 draftee Seth DeValve makes sense and even though you would think that the team could have shopped Barnidge as a possible throw in in a trade or even fetch a sixth or seventh rounder,but the more likely scenario is that the salary of Barnidge made a trade very unlikely and by cutting him now,the well-liked veteran will have plenty of time to hook on with another team.

Barnidge's career year came as a huge surprise as in his previous six years in the league had seen his career high in catches sit at a low 13,but the extension was seen as an olive branch to fans disgusted with the regression under Mike Pettine and a show of good faith.
When you think of tight ends under Hue Jackson,you think of large,athletic,rangy types that can get downfield such as his use of Tyler Eifert over Jermaine Gresham in the years that he spent as the Bengals offensive coordinator and despite his good hands,Barnidge isn't that type of player.
Combine that with the departure of Josh McCown,who Barnidge seemed to have chemistry with/McCown looked for Barnidge first and you can see why the Browns decided to allow Barnidge to go elsewhere.

The Browns have two picks tonight,a second rounder obtained from the Titans and their own pick which is the first in the third round.
I'll be here tonight looking at both (or more) players selected tonight by the Browns...