The fate of wide receiver Brian Robiskie was foreshadowed in the past week when he practiced as a member of the scout team and did not play against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Browns waived Robiskie on Tuesday to make room on their roster for running back Thomas Clayton. The Browns signed Clayton because Montario Hardesty tore a calf muscle Sunday and Peyton Hillis has been inactive for the past two games with a pulled hamstring.
Robiskie, a second-round draft pick in 2009, entered this season as a starter, but he lost playing time as the season progressed and rookie Greg Little emerged. Robiskie had three catches for 25 yards this season. He was active Sunday, though he never entered the game.
Robiskie, 23, started 14 of the 31 games in which he has played since former Browns coach Eric Mangini drafted him 36th overall out of Ohio State. He compiled 39 receptions for 441 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were scored in the final three games of last season.
The Browns held tryouts for running backs Tuesday because Chris Ogbonnaya was the only healthy tailback on their active roster. Hardesty is out indefinitely, and Hillis’ status for the team’s upcoming game against the Houston Texans has yet to be determined. In an effort to add depth to their injury-plagued backfield, the Browns reunited with Clayton, a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2007.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Clayton appeared in two games for the Browns last season, rushing once for no gain. He spent four weeks on the Browns’ active roster and two weeks on their practice squad. He also spent nine weeks of the 2010 season on the New England Patriots’ active roster, appearing in one game and rushing six times for 17 yards.
This past summer, Clayton was in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks before being waived on Sept. 3.
Clayton was a member of the 49ers’ practice squad for the majority of his first two seasons. He spent the entire 2009 season on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at http://browns.ohio.com. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/browns.abj.
