Browns release Calvin Pryor for fighting a teammate 3 months after trading for him

The Cleveland Browns are moving on from safety Calvin Pryor just a few months after he was traded to the team from the New York Jets, coach Hue Jackson said Thursday.

Pryor’s abrupt release comes after the defensive back reportedly got in a fight with wide receiver Ricardo Louis shortly before the beginning of practice. Pryor was not at practice Thursday with the team after participating fully Wednesday.

Jackson said the team has no plans to release Louis for his involvement in the fight.

The Browns acquired Pryor in June, sending linebacker Demario Davis to the Jets. Pryor was a first-round pick for New York in 2014, but fell out of favor with the team and the Jets selected two safeties in the 2017 NFL draft, Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, to take over the starting spots.

“I feel like it was a great opportunity,” Pryor said in June after the trade. “Have a fresh start, learn a new system and buy into a new culture.”

But Pryor is now headed to Jacksonville after he was claimed by the Jaguars off waivers on Friday.

What does this mean for the Browns secondary? It hurts the team’s depth, but Pryor wasn’t a starter for the team anyway. The former first-round pick lost the starting job to Derrick Kindred, a fourth-round pick in 2016 who started five games as a rookie.

Kindred will start alongside first-round rookie Jabrill Peppers, but the Browns will need to go mining for another defensive back to fill the void left by the release of Pryor.

The only other safety on the roster is Ibraheim Campbell, a fourth-round pick in 2015 who made seven starts last year for the Browns. Pryor was brought on the team due to the potential that made him the No. 18 overall selection in 2014, so finding another player that brings the same athleticism and readiness to fill in may not be easy.

For now, Jackson says Kai Nacua, an undrafted rookie, will be promoted from the practice squad to the Browns’ active roster.

The bigger concern is the Browns culture. Jackson is trying to flip the idea that the Browns are a doormat and a consistent disaster. His release of Pryor feeds the idea that the new regime means business, but also fuels the jokes about the franchise.

Weak-minded teams with little depth are often susceptible to hanging on to players despite questionable behavior, because releasing them is detrimental to the product on the field. A team like the New England Patriots would have no issue with cutting a player like Pryor for stirring up trouble.

But the Browns have four combined wins in the last two seasons and have to battle with the fact that many think it’s just a cursed franchise. The team will already be without No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, who suffered a high ankle sprain just days before the season began.

That kind of bad luck combined with the release of Pryor can take its toll.

Ultimately, winning can fix everything for the Browns. Losing Pryor isn’t that damaging for that cause. But until the wins start coming for Cleveland, moves like this will always drudge up memories of the same old Browns.