To the disappointment, frustration, surprise, and maybe anger of a lot of Cleveland Browns fans, WR Luke Floriea is reportedly not making the team’s initial 53-man roster. As has been repeated over and over again, the initial 53-man roster is not the final 53-man roster. There are lots of reasons teams make moves in different orders, which could include bringing Floriea back either to the practice squad or to the main roster after some waiver claims go through.
Many believe that the Mentor native had earned a spot on the team’s roster, especially with his performance in the third preseason game. In three preseason games, Floriea had six catches for 95 yards and three (almost four) touchdowns.
A few reasons the preseason hero didn’t make the initial roster:
Limitations
As noted many times, special teams matter when you are talking about the fifth and sixth wide receivers on a team. Not just in the return game, but also in coverage units. In three preseason contests, Floriea played just four special teams snaps while Malachi Corley, who might make the initial 53-man roster, played in 20 snaps and added two special teams tackles to his return totals.
The additions of KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and Tylan Wallace, along with Isaiah Bond’s speed and Jerry Jeudy’s contract and veteran status, leave very little room for another receiver. Corley could make the roster, but that has not yet been determined, and the sixth receiver will likely be inactive most games until an injury happens.
While it is possible Cleveland keeps six receivers, reports that the team will hold on to all four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster make that tenuous at best. Most teams keep three, at most, so a roster spot at another position must be sacrificed. Floriea, or another release, could be traced directly back to keeping all the quarterbacks.
Floriea was productive in preseason this year, but teams are generally not looking for production numbers when making back-of-roster decisions. Instead, traits and role are generally the higher priority. Could Floriea be the next undersized, hard-working, local-product-made-good story? Certainly, but a few touchdowns in preseason are not an indicator of that. Dorian Thompson-Robinson looked like an All-Pro for a few preseason games a couple of years ago, and we know how that ended.
Generally speaking, fans and media are much more worried about a player being claimed than actually happens. On average, about 1% of waived players are claimed. Those who are either play a vital position or have impressive physical traits that another team believes they can develop. Floriea is neither of those, making the risk of him being claimed pretty small. It is never zero, and that is a risk the Browns will take when this move becomes official.
How are you feeling about Floriea being waived? What do you think the reason(s) is for the move?
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