Evan Moore finally finds a home with the Browns

By Nate Ulrich

Akron Beacon Journal

BEREA

Evan Moore’s past failures have made his two-year contract extension even sweeter.

During a day when the Browns cut several players including lineman Branndon Braxton (Ursuline), Moore reflected on how he struggled to find a place in the NFL not long ago. He was waived by the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers before finally developing a role with the Browns.

“It honestly seems like yesterday that I was sitting at home going undrafted, wondering if I was really gonna get a shot to play in this league,” Moore said Saturday, less than 24 hours after he signed an extension worth nearly $3 million a year.

“Then about a year after that [I was] leaving Green Bay and wondering the same thing: ’Who’s gonna give me my next chance?’

“I think the thing I’ll never forget, though, is when I left Green Bay. They kind of asked me, ’what are you going to do now?’ as if football wasn’t in the equation. That pushes me on a daily basis.”

Moore, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end, joined the Browns’ practice squad on Nov. 9, 2009. He was signed to the active roster less than a month later, and he played in the final five regular-season games.

Last year, Moore caught 16 passes for 322 yards (20.1 average) and one touchdown in 12 games before he suffered a season-ending sports hernia that required surgery in January.

Wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who missed all four preseason games with a chipped bone in his left foot, will play Sept. 11 in the Browns’ regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Shurmur said.

“He’ll be available, and we’ll play him,” Shurmur said. “Everybody that is suited up needs to be ready to play every snap.”

Tight end Benjamin Watson (hip) and linebacker Chris Gocong (pinched nerve) were sidelined Saturday during the 15-minute portion of practice open to reporters.