Can Curtis Weaver turn things around quick with Cleveland?
Can Curtis Weaver turn it around with the Cleveland Browns?
The Miami Dolphins probably felt like they had gotten themselves a steal in the 2020 NFL Draft when they used a fifth-round pick on Boise State pass rusher Curtis Weaver.
Weaver played three seasons at Boise State and certainly put up big numbers. He finished with 128 total tackles, 47.5 tackles for loss, 34 sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
Despite those big numbers, Weaver wasn’t highly coveted by NFL teams in the 2020 NFL Draft because he had just average athleticism and length as an edge defender.
The NFL is a cutthroat business, and Weaver found that out the hard way in his first camp with the Miami Dolphins. Even as a fifth-round draft pick, Weaver was one of the more decorated prospects in an absolutely loaded 2020 class for the Dolphins, the MWC’s all-time leader in sacks.
At this juncture of training camp and with prospects you highly value, you simply don’t subject guys to waivers you believe can be assets to your team in the near or immediate future.
Former Dolphins 5th round pick EDGE Curtis Weaver claimed off waivers by the Browns, as @TomPelissero said. Brian Flores said this AM that a small % of players usually get claimed in this situation and they‘d see if they could get back on IR. Instead CLE bites and Weaver is gone.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 25, 2020
Even if Miami felt like Weaver could revert back to their injured reserve, this roster move indicates that Weaver is probably not injured enough to go on season-ending IR, but even if he is, the Browns are getting what essentially amounts to a free fourth-round pick here and this makes it look like Miami made a really poor use of a pretty valuable draft choice.
Weaver has a chance, now, to ultimately develop in Cleveland’s system as the primary pass rusher opposite Myles Garrett.
There are veterans ahead of him on the depth chart and Cleveland certainly didn’t add him to be an immediate starter, but with a new chip on his shoulder and a team that believes in him apparently more than the Miami Dolphins did, Weaver will have a chance to prove with Cleveland what we know to be true about him — measurables or not, this guy plays hard every single snap.
How quickly will Weaver be able to turn it around?
Next. 2020 NFL mock draft update (2 rounds). dark
That remains to be seen, but a situation like this could definitely cause a player to laser focus.