BEREA - Running back Jamal Lewis is still a Cleveland Brown.

Coach Eric Mangini still hasn’t named a starting quarterback.

“I really don’t have any additional information on the quarterbacks,” he said to open a conference call Saturday night.

The stunner some suspected - the release of 10,000-yard rusher Lewis - didn’t happen. The whispers about the end of Lewis’ Cleveland career were premature, as he was one of the 52 men on the roster announced Saturday.

The team had to get down to an NFL-mandated limit of 53 from 75 by 6 p.m. Saturday. They will add another player today.

Lewis, who turned 30 last month, averaged 2.6 a carry in the preseason, but insisted he feels quick and hinted he may have held something back during August.

“One thing that happens in a transitional time, there’s always speculation,” Mangini said. “I think Jamal has a lot to contribute and I’m looking forward to seeing him as we go through the season. He’s a physical guy, a tough guy, a good pro.”

The biggest surprise Saturday was the termination of cornerback Corey Ivy’s contract. He struggled during the preseason, but was the No. 1 nickelback throughout. That job likely falls to safety Mike Adams or rookie Coye Francies.

“We worked a lot of different guys in that spot,” Mangini said. “Coye Francies, Hank Poteat, Mike Adams and Eric Wright all saw time there.”

Other cuts that may have surprised were: veteran receiver David Patten, fullback Charles Ali, linebacker Beau Bell (the team’s top pick last year as a fourth-rounder), linebacker Titus Brown and offensive lineman Isaac Sowells.

Patten missed a good chunk of camp with an injury and was expendable after the emergence of Joshua Cribbs and Mike Furrey. Ali lost out when Mangini elected to keep only one fullback, Lawrence Vickers.

Bell’s opportunity to make the team was on special teams, but he lost out to Leon Williams and Blake Costanzo, backup linebackers whose primary work comes on kick coverage. Brown looked like he had a shot at a starting job early in camp, but had been sidelined with an ankle injury.

Sowells, a fourth-round pick in 2006, seemed to have a spot locked up, as the offensive line depth remains a question mark. But the Browns kept only eight linemen, including recently signed Corey Hilliard, who played left tackle Thursday in the preseason finale.

Aaron Walker was also released after Martin Rucker won the battle to be the third tight end. Nine rookies made the team - seven draft picks and free agents Marcus Benard (linebacker) and Bret Lockett (safety).

“It’s not a fun time,” Mangini said. “These guys have worked hard. They have fought hard to establish themselves and establish roster spots. It was important to me to be able to meet with them all individually and spend some time with them and share with them some of my thoughts about things that they did well, things that they can improve on and try to answer any questions they had.”

One of the toughest cuts was Patten, who played with the Patriots when Mangini was an assistant.

“David is a special guy,” Mangini said. “I think when you look at the things he has done in the league and the way that he came up and built the career that he built, it’s impressive.

“More impressive with a guy like David is, he is as humble today as he was when I had my first experiences with him. He is a great teammate and another guy that is an excellence example for the younger players.”

Just because someone was on the roster Saturday night doesn’t mean he’ll be there Monday when preparations begin for the opener against the Vikings next Sunday. Mangini is known for turning over the bottom of the roster and will check the waiver wire and other team’s cuts for upgrades.

“What we are doing is trying to develop the guys we have and keep getting them better, and diligently looking outside of the organization to see if there are any possibilities to acquire guys that can also help us,” he said.

In addition, the team reached an injury settlement with DL Melila Purcell, who had been on the club’s injured reserve list.

The roster

• QUARTERBACKS (3): Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Brett Ratliff
• RUNNING BACKS (4): James Davis, Jerome Harrison, Jamal Lewis, Lawrence Vickers
• RECEIVERS (5): Joshua Cribbs, Braylon Edwards, Mike Furrey, Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie
• TIGHT ENDS (3): Steve Heiden, Robert Royal, Martin Rucker
• OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): Hank Fraley, Rex Hadnot, Corey Hilliard, Alex Mack, John St. Clair, Eric Steinbach, Joe Thomas, Floyd Womack
• DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6): Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley, Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, Robaire Smith, Corey Williams
• LINEBACKERS (10): Eric Barton, Marcus Benard, David Bowens, Blake Costanzo, Alex Hall, D’Qwell Jackson, Kaluka Maiava, David Veikune, Leon Williams, Kamerion Wimbley
• DEFENSIVE BACKS (10): Mike Adams, Abram Elam, Coye Francies, Gerard Lawson, Bret Lockett, Brandon McDonald, Brodney Pool, Hank Poteat, Nick Sorensen, Eric Wright
• SPECIALISTS (3): Kicker Phil Dawson, long snapper Ryan Pontbriand, punter Dave Zastudil
• WAIVED: FB Charles Ali, DB Brandon Anderson, QB Richard Bartel, DB Tra Battle, LB Beau Bell, OL Branndon Braxton, LB Titus Brown, OL Dustin Fry, DL Adam Hoppel, WR Paul Hubbard, RB Chris Jennings, WR Lance Leggett, OL Pat Murray, WR Jordan Norwood, OL Kurt Quarterman, DL Brian Schaefering, OL Isaac Sowells, DL Santonio Thomas.
• CONTRACT TERMINATED: DB Hamza Abdullah, RB Noah Herron, DB Corey Ivy, WR David Patten, TE Aaron Walker.

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an innappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.