BEREA, Ohio -- It didn't take long for John Dorsey to make his first decision as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. On Friday, the team announced that it had released wide receiver Kenny Britt.
After signing a 4-year, $32.5 million deal with Cleveland this past offseason, Britt has been considered one of the NFL's biggest free agent busts of 2017. In 9 games, the former Rutgers standout tallied just 18 receptions for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was also considered a disappointment off the field, having been sent home from the team's trip from Houston after missing curfew.
In releasing Britt less than a year into his contract, the Browns will take a $5,625,000 cap hit. The team will owe Britt $10.5 million between his salary and signing bonus.
Britt's release comes less than a day after the Browns introduced Dorsey as their new general manager. Under former vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, Cleveland struggled at acquiring high-quality wide receivers -- a move magnified by the underperforming Britt.
Britt will now hit the waiver wire, where he is expected to go unclaimed. The winless Browns, meanwhile, will primarily be relying on Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis and Rashard Higgins at receiver for the final four games of 2017.
With its open roster spot, the Browns promoted defensive back Justin Currie from its practice squad.
