Browns drafted Caleb Brantley but assault charge may force team to cut him

Caleb Brantley was selected by the Browns with the 185th pick in the 2017 draft, but his Cleveland tenure might be short-lived. General manager Sashi Brown said the Browns might be forced to cut him depending on the outcome of the pending misdemeanor assault charge against Brantley.

Brantley was initially projected to be drafted in the late first round or the second round. He fell all the way to the sixth after being charged for allegedly striking a woman in the face and causing a tooth injury on April 13. The woman needed a root canal after the incident.

Brown said that, while the team did choose to take a chance on Brantley, Cleveland may be forced to move on from him.

But the charge and the alleged circumstances surrounding it didn’t keep the Browns from rolling the dice on the defensive tackle.

The police report said Brantley’s “use of force was clearly out of retaliation and not self defense,” and that Brantley’s action “far exceeded what was reasonable or necessary” given the situation.

The Browns did have Brantley in for a visit, but that happened before April 13, when the alleged altercation occurred.

According to Cabot, one of Brantley’s coaches at Florida didn’t give him a glowing recommendation.

Brown said that the outcome of Brantley’s criminal case may be something the team “can’t get comfortable with,” according to Cabot. But the Browns were obviously comfortable enough to take a chance on Brantley.

The allegations against him are ugly, and it doesn’t matter if Brown says they are concerned. They weren’t a big enough concern for Cleveland to pass on Brantley.