Joe Haden happy Browns cut him, paid Osweiler   Published: Jan 10, 2018 at 03:14 AM           Around The NFL Writer                           's exit from the was unceremonious, unsurprising and for a team that ended up going 0-16, unnece sary.     Haden was a cap casualty on a team that had a surplus of cap space. Asked to take a pay cut by former GM Sashi Brown, Haden refused, instead requesting a release and freedom from a team he Brandin Bryant Jersey 'd given years of service.     The cornerback recently revealed his feelings surrounding his departure and almost immediate signing with division-rival Pittsburgh, for whom Haden will suit up and play in .     "They were going to pay $16 million and he's not even on the Jordan Phillips Jersey  team "     At the tail end of that tenure, Haden struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. The former Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback simply wasn't one anymore and Cleveland didn't deem him worth his $13.4 million cap number, which placed him in the top eight highest-paid corners in the league, just behind Jacksonville's and ahead of New England's . Both of those players signed new deals with their respective teams last offseason, while Haden was playing on a contract signed in 2014.     It wasn't surprising, considering the play didn't quite match the pay. But Haden was also a key defender drafted by Cleveland in 2010 and was handsomely paid to endure the roughest times in the  Greg Mancz Jersey franchise's history, culminating for him with 2016's 1-15 campaign. Thanks to Cleveland's peculiar frugality -- cutting Haden still saddled the with $7.3 million in dead money in 2017 and $3.6 million in 2018 -- Haden found a new life in the same division with Pittsburgh, which wasn't afraid to open the checkbook for the corner, signing him to a three-year, $27 million deal.     Even after losing Haden to a fractured fibula in Week 10, Pittsburgh is still more than pleased with its investment.        "You can't find a top-10 corner in September; that just doesn't happen," safety said. "He was the final piece."     Placing Haden among the league's  Justin Zimmer Jersey best 10-15 corners is debatable -- Pro Football Focus ranks him 68th among NFL cornerbacks in 2017, with his strength predictably lying in coverage -- but what isn't is his contribution to Pittsburgh's secondary, which had been the team's weakest position group in the last few years. It's seen quite the improvement against the pa s, finishing the regular season fifth in the league in pa sing yards allowed per game with an average of 201.1 after ending the 2016 campaign 16th in the league (Cleveland, meanwhile, finished 2017 with the No. 19 unit at 230.2).     Individually, Haden ranked 16th among cornerbacks in receptions per coverage snaps played, allowing just one reception for every 14.4 coverage snaps, per PFF. For comparison, he was 55th in the same metric last season, allowing one reception every 9.5 coverage snaps played. It seems as though the change of scenery was the best thing that could have happened to the 28-year-old.     "Once that happened, once I got released by Cleveland," Haden said, , "I just knew that I had a bright future ahead of me.     "I'm just excited that this Week 17 game isn't my last game of the year."       This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i Gabriel Davis Jersey  sue. Click here Click here Click here