Donte Whitner is 30 years old. At safety, that means he's about seven years past his NFL expiration date, and it's a testament to his ability and his Pro-Bowl career that he's stayed in the game as long as he had.
The Browns are in perpetual rebuilding mode. Remember how 40 words ago I said that Whitner is 30 years old? Well, as Cleveland.com puts it...
Whitner's departure is part of the youth movement that the Browns told linebacker Karlos Dansby, 34, the team was embarking upon when they released him March 16th. In fact, he told Whitner and others to "be ready for whatever.'' The Browns also cut receiver Dwayne Bowe, 31, that day, and could trade quarterback Josh McCown, 36, by draft day. They also recently released defensive lineman Randy Starks, 32, and tight end Jim Dray 29.
So instead of having an old bad team, the Browns will have a young bad team. Which is, in fact, somewhat marginally better. But in the process, the Browns are losing a three time Pro-Bowler who finished second in the team in tackles.
Whitner doesn't seem super broken up about it.
Cleveland I'm gone!
— DonteHitner (@DonteWhitner) April 2, 2016
And maybe he shouldn't be! Yes, he's a 30-year-old safety who just got cut by one of the most woebegone franchises in the National Football League, but he's likely to land on his feet somewhere and hey, he doesn't have to be a Cleveland Brown anymore.
The weird, kind of unfortunate addendum to all of this is that Ohio State safety Vonn Bell is one of the names being thrown around as Whitner's heir. Neat! There's also this guy, who seems fairly interested. Also depressing.
