The Browns are receiving criticism for waiting so long to release strong safety Donte Whitner.
They cut the three-time Pro Bowler on Saturday night, two days before the start of their offseason workout program. If they had made the move earlier, there would have been more job openings throughout the NFL for Whitner to explore. Free agency began March 9, and most vacancies have been filled.
Whitner, 30, will eventually catch on somewhere, but the timing of the move has raised eyebrows in league circles.
Browns coach Hue Jackson acknowledged Wednesday he knows some feathers were ruffled.
"I know it was a hard situation," Jackson said. "But I think we all know in the National Football League decisions are made when it's time to make those decisions, and it's unfortunate that it happened when it did. But at the same time, I think you guys know there's never any perfect timing to make those choices except for when you make them.
"You guys have seen guys that's going to be let go right before the draft, right after the draft, and there will be some in training camp. So I get it. I know it's unfortunate it happened that way. But I think we all recognize and know that those things do happen.
"We made the decision when it was time for us to make the decision. Obviously that decision wasn't made before because if it was we would have made that decision earlier. So I get it and I know the feeling in that situation. But trust me, we went through this 1,000 times to get to that conclusion, so it wasn't like it was just a knee-jerk reaction."
The Browns cut inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, 34, on March 16. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on March 30. He wishes Whitner would have been afforded the same amount of time to find his next job.
"To see it happen like that late into the free agency, man, it just wasn't cool,'' Dansby said Tuesday night during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. "It wasn't cool at all. ... Just respect him and let him go."
Whitner immediately took issue with the timing of his release.
"I just wish they had common courtesy and would’ve done it weeks ago when free agency was going on... #25thHour... But I’ll bounce back!" Whitner tweeted Saturday night.