Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Something you may not know about the Browns ...

Twenty-two (22!) players on Cleveland's 53-man roster are undrafted free agents (UFAs). Yikes. By comparison, the 2014 Steelers have 10 UFAs.

Somebody else can look this up, but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland's 22 UFAs are an all-time NFL high.

Alejandro Villaneuva: A Tight End in the Making?
Speaking of undrafted free agents, one of the Steelers' new practice squad members is 25-year-old Alejandro Villaneuva, 6'9", 277, who is listed as an offensive tackle but sounds like he has the makings of a tight end (and target in the red zone).

Alejandro Villaneuva, as a wide receiver for Army.
Photos courtesy of MMQB.SI, which provided the following caption:
"As a receiver at Army, Alejandro Villanueva pulled in a one-handed grab against VMI in November 2009 (left) and soared against Navy a month later. (Frank DiBrango/Icon SMI and Matt Slocum/AP)"


A graduate of West Point, Villaneuva spent three tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for valor. Currently, he is a captain in the U.S. Army Rangers Reserve. Here's what ProFootballTalk.com had to say about him:
"Villanueva, who played at West Point and served as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before returning to football, has been added to the Steelers practice squad. The Steelers list Villanueva as an offensive lineman, which he played in college before making the rare move from tackle to wide receiver, while the Eagles were trying the 6-foot-9 prospect as a defensive lineman."
Let's see: A 6'9", 277-lb. guy who has experience playing both tackle and wide receiver? To Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, that sounds like: "Tight end and red zone target."