Paul Kruger

Cleveland Browns outside linebacker Paul Kruger was cut by the club in the trim Monday from 90 to 75.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In a move that left many of his teammates shocked, the Browns released Paul Kruger Monday in the first wave of cuts.

The team later announced Kruger's release and the other cuts from 90 to 75 that were due Tuesday by 4 p.m. Among them were were kicker Travis Coons, quarterback Austin Davis, tight end E.J. Bibbs and suspended cornerback K'Waun Williams. Final cuts to 53 are Saturday.

Kruger, 30 was by far the biggest name among the cuts, but his production this preseason wasn't up to the the Browns standards. He dropped off from a career-high of 11 sacks in 2014 to 2 1/2 last season and was off to a sluggish start in camp.

In three preseason games, he had a total of four assists and no sacks or other impact plays. In Tampa Bay Friday night, Kruger mustered two assists and didn't get close to sacking Jameis Winston, who rolled up 259 yards passing and two TDs in the first half.

"Let me say this about anybody that we let go - we let people go because there is a performance that we want, not so much just him, I mean everybody,'' coach Hue Jackson said. "When you let players go now, you give them a chance to catch on at other places. The respectful thing to do if you don't see a guy having the potential to make your team, the right thing to do is to move forward and move on, and that's what we have done.''

Kruger ripped the Browns in a tweet for mishandling his release and for making a big mistake in letting him go.

But he admitted in the offseason that he feared he'd be the next 30-something player with a big salary to get cut, following in the footsteps of Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner.

"I guess anticipating something,'' he said in April. "Made me a little nervous, I'm not going to lie. I'm loyal to this team and it's a lot of hard work that's been put in and I want to see that through and I couldn't be more happy and excited to be in this seat."

The Browns have now lost some of their most experienced pass-rushers for all or part of the season. Desmond Bryant is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle and Armonty Bryant is suspended the first four games of the season for performance-enhancing drugs. He faces further suspension.

The Browns traded Barkevious Mingo to the Patriots for a fifth-round pick on Thursday, leading Nate Orchard as the only outside linebacker on the Browns who's ever registered a sack, and he's had only three.

"It's hard to see someone like that go, especially Paul,'' said Orchard. "The moment I got here last year he was a mentor to me. I got really close to him like a brother. To see him depart, it sucks, but at the end of the day, it's all part of the business. I wish him the best wherever he goes. I know he's going to succeed. He has a for a long time in this league. I wish him the best. We're going to miss him."

Rookie Emmanuel Ogbah, who's been switched back to linebacker from defensive end and penciled in at Kruger's spot, learned Monday the harsher side of the business.

"That came as a shock to me,'' he said. "That came as a shock to me and also everyone too, I was not the only one.''

He acknowledged that Kruger helped him get to the point where he might in the starting lineup on opening day.

"When I came in I asked him a lot of questions about certain things and just playing a 3-4 outside linebacker,'' said Ogbah. "He will definitely be missed, but we've just got to move on.''

Kruger admitted recently that his pass-rush wasn't where it needed to be and that he needed to improve. When that didn't happen, the Browns cut ties.

"Anybody who came to training camp had an opportunity so it's not like we had already made a decision that we were letting these guys go,' said Jackson. "These guys had opportunities in games to prove themselves to earn a right to be on our football team. Like I said, the guys that went today, we felt like we needed to move on from them, whoever they were."



Hue Jackson doesn't think 'the sky is falling at all'

In 2013, Kruger was a blockbuster free agent signing for the Browns, who inked him to a five-year deal worth $40.5 million, including $13 million guaranteed. He was under contract through next season at $6.5 million this year and $7 million next year. The former Raven got off to a slow start here, recording only 4.5 sacks in 2013. But he broke out in 2014 with a career-high 11 sacks.

The Browns drafted pass-rushers Ogbah, Carl Nassib and Joe Schobert this year, and Orchard and Xavier Cooper last year.

As for Coons, the writing was on the wall when Patrick Murray lined up for the first field goal in Tampa, a 35-yarder. Coons made a 26-yarder later in the game.

Austin Davis was signed by the Browns last September and had his contract extended through 2017 shortly thereafter. He became expendable when the Browns drafted Cody Kessler in the third round.

Bibbs, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa State last year, was the only undrafted rookie to be on the roster all 17 weeks. He appeared in seven games last year and showed promise. But he became expendable when 2016 rookie Connor Hamlett emerged as a playmaker.

The Browns also announced the following roster moves:

* They terminated the contract of defensive lineman Nick Hayden.

* They waived the following players: Defensive back Sean Baker, Bibbs, wide receiver Josh Boyce, wide receiver Ed Eagan, fullback Robert Hughes, tight end David Reeves and offensive lineman Cory Tucker.

* They also placed defensive lineman Nile Lawrence-Stample and running back Glenn Winston on injured reserve, both with shoulder injuries.