Browns sign WR Nelson to 1-year contract

[BillsFever21]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Browns (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/cle) signed free agent wide receiver David Nelson (http://sports.yahoo.com/search?p=David+Nelson) to a one-year contract.

Nelson had 94 catches for 1,042 yards and eight touchdowns with the Bills. In 2011, he was second on the club in catches (61) and receiving yards (658). He also had five TDs.

Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said Nelson ''possesses very good size and hands, and has a good feel for the game. He showed promise with Buffalo two years ago before missing most of last season with an injury, and we feel as though he will be a good addition to our group of wide receivers.''

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/browns-sign-wr-nelson-1-012915536--nfl.html;_ylt=AglEjdxdYqGdoC9h8CXRydJDubYF;_ylu=X3oDMTRtOGRydm45BG1pdANMSVNUUyBNaXhlZCBsaXN0IE5GTCBoZWFkbGluZXMEcGtnA2VkYzRmYWYxLTI0YTAtMzA2ZS04NzkzLTFiYTk5OGNmYzFjZgRwb3MDOQRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVkTFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzIzYzlkY2EwLWEwYjYtMTFlMi05ZjRiLWJhYTY1M2I1NTVjOA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFoZHY1MWJpBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

[gr8slayer]

Wish him the best, he's a good person and player.

[YardRat]

Ditto.

[trapezeus]

before the injury, i thought he had a lot of promise. it'd be great to see him do well. i think cutting him without chandler is a mistake.

[BillsFever21]

He was very professional with us and had some decent games. I would've like to see him around for one more season to see if he could've been a decent slot WR but I also wish him the best of luck in Cleveland.

[Mr. Pink]

It's a good signing for Cleveland, their wide receiving corps is thin.

[The Toe Show]

It's not a mistake yet, but if he plays next year add it to the list.

I really don't understand why we didn't keep him. I know we're stacked at WR as it is...

Graham, Hogan, Brad Smith, and Ruvell Martin.

[EDS]

It's a good signing for Cleveland, their wide receiving corps is thin.

How do peeps in Cleveland feel about Gordon? Seems promising but I admittedly do not follow the Browns closely.

[Mr. Pink]

How do peeps in Cleveland feel about Gordon? Seems promising but I admittedly do not follow the Browns closely.

I like Gordon. He's their only WR I have any faith in actually doing anything down the road. Little can't catch a cold. And Nelson likely won't be a long term addition. After that, they have a whole lot of nothing.

[CleveSteve]

How do peeps in Cleveland feel about Gordon? Seems promising but I admittedly do not follow the Browns closely.

I really like both Gordon and Little. Little had drops issues at the beginning of the year but got his head straightened out and I think didn't drop a pass the second half of the season. Plus, he's a beast with the ball in his hands and a knockout blocker. Gordon started playing well once they cut down his route tree last year. He ran about 4 different routes the second half of the season. A 9, an 8, a 6, and a 4. They took everything else away from him because he was running like crap, balls getting picked off etc. But he improved a lot the second half of the season and they will probably put more in for him this year.

Looks like the Browns are letting Norv Turner direct the WR acquisitions as they've already got Gordon and Little who are 6'4" and 6'2", signed Nelson, and there are rumors about going after Danario Alexander. Looks a lot like Turner's WR group in SD.

[more cowbell]

It's not a mistake yet, but if he plays next year add it to the list.

I really don't understand why we didn't keep him. I know we're stacked at WR as it is...

Graham, Hogan, Brad Smith, and Ruvell Martin.


LOL couldn't have said it any better myself...

[Beebe's Kid]

Is there any good reason that the Bills didn't keep Nelson? I don't care as much as I used to, so I may have missed it, but this seemed like a pointless cut, at best. Nelson was fairly dependable, and seemed to hold on to the ball better than any of the other receivers. I know that all of the balls that hit guys in the hands were Fitzy's fault, especially the ones that hit SJ, but this seemed like a move that was made without a whole lot of consideration. A guy that can catch the ball, and that would have signed for relatively little money seems like a no-brainer...maybe he just doesn't cover punts as well as Ruvell.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Is there any good reason that the Bills didn't keep Nelson? I don't care as much as I used to, so I may have missed it, but this seemed like a pointless cut, at best. Nelson was fairly dependable, and seemed to hold on to the ball better than any of the other receivers. I know that all of the balls that hit guys in the hands were Fitzy's fault, especially the ones that hit SJ, but this seemed like a move that was made without a whole lot of consideration. A guy that can catch the ball, and that would have signed for relatively little money seems like a no-brainer...maybe he just doesn't cover punts as well as Ruvell.

He wasn't cut, he just wasn't retained as a RFA. I think they were concerned about his ability after coming off the ACL injury. I think they should have at least picked Jones or Nelson and retained one of them (Nelson would have been my choice) so we at least have some guys with experience.

[Beebe's Kid]

He wasn't cut, he just wasn't retained as a RFA. I think they were concerned about his ability after coming off the ACL injury. I think they should have at least picked Jones or Nelson and retained one of them (Nelson would have been my choice) so we at least have some guys with experience.

I did know that he was not retained; I worded it incorrectly.

I think Jones did a fine job blocking. He might not have been the #2 we were forced to use him as, but he was an attractive option to use as a 4th WR, or as depth. I don't think that not retaining either of these two made any sense. It isn't even the experience thing, as much as knowing that there were some strengths that each of them brought to the table, like real use-this-to-your-advantage-type strengths. Maybe it is just the accepting mediocrity, or homer glasses, or something, but neither Jones nor Nelson were what I would have called part of the problem. I would have loved to have added, and complimented their talents, as opposed to starting over again. I didn't like the amount of dropped balls by the WRs, but SJ drops more than any of them.

Hopefully they get receivers that can do some bailing out of their QB on poorly thrown balls. It is frustrating to see other teams that have WRs that do that. As bad as Fitzy was, this team would have been better if the WRs just would have caught the balls that they needed to catch. If they could have bailed him out, by catching a few of his bad throws, I think they are a different team. I am not saying they make the Playoffs, or anything like that...the coaching was too timid, but confidence was sucked out of this team multiple times following drops.

I am sure that one of the BZ scholars would respond with a "Fitzputrid licks balls," or something equally as clever, but I just really wonder what the plan is to create so many holes, before knowing if there are going to be realistic options to fill them. They have way more holes than draft picks, and they created some that they will have to fill with leftovers.