5:49pm: The Browns will absorb $75K of Bennett’s $730K base salary, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
3:55pm: With Josh Gordon facing a lengthy suspension, the Browns attempted to bolster their receiving corps with a handful of modest free agent signings this offseason. However, one veteran wideout signed by Cleveland is already heading back to free agency. The Browns announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve terminated the contract of former Bear Earl Bennett, who inked a deal with the club just over a month ago.
Bennett, who spent several seasons with the Bears after being drafted by the team in the third round in 2008, was cut earlier in the offseason after Chicago tried and failed to find a trade partner. The 27-year-old hasn’t been a starting wideout since 2009, but posted decent numbers in part-time action over the last few years, catching between 24 and 46 balls for an average of 390 yards per season and 10 overall touchdowns from 2010-2013. However, it seems that the Cleveland brass saw enough this spring to convince them that Bennett wasn’t worth a longer look in training camp.
With Bennett no longer in the mix, the Browns should head into training camp with a group of receivers that includes Gordon and newcomers Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, and Nate Burleson.