The chaos swirling around Cleveland's ragtag collection of wide receivers wasn't enough to save Greg Little.
The move comes one day after the team signed veteran free agentsMiles Austin and Earl Bennett and amid the organization's wait for a ruling on All-Pro Josh Gordon, who faces a potential lengthy suspension for yet another positive drug test.
With Gordon hanging in the abyss, the depth chart at receiver is a messy collection of aging veterans and unproven rookies, but Little's release -- predicted on Thursday's podcast -- comes as little surprise to anyone who's witnessed his struggles over the past three seasons.
Despite his big-bodied frame, Little's butterfingers drove coaches and fans to near insanity. After ranking second in the league with 14 drops as a rookie, the 2011 second-rounder's shaky hands remained an issue to the end. His receiving yards dropped in each of the past two seasons and while Little ran the second-most routes in the league in 2013, a whopping 102 players still generated more yardage, per Pro Football Focus.
Little's exit leaves nose tackle Phillip Taylor as the final pick attached to Cleveland's ill-fated 2011 draft-day trade with Atlanta, which allowed the Falcons to shoot up the board and grab receiver Julio Jones.
While Jones has emerged as an ascendant force, Little -- despite his affordable $753,750 price tag -- generated character concerns and was "almost certainly" going to be cut by the previous front-office regime. It didn't take long for the new one to reach the same conclusion.
The "Around The League Podcast" predicts which rookie quarterbacks will start first and which veterans are in trouble after the draft.
