Browns Cut 2 Ex-Vikings on Sunday
Janik Eckardt
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Cutdown day is nearing for NFL teams. They must release enough players to get under the roster limit of 53 by Tuesday. Organizations also have the option to put players on IR. Over 1,000 players hit the waiver wire or get outright released league-wide, and some teams do it step-by-step and start a couple of days early. Sunday was bad news for a duo of former Vikings players whom the Cleveland Browns employed.
Browns Cut 2 Ex-Vikings on Sunday
The Browns started with a wave of roster cuts, and safety Nate Meadors and offensive guard Colby Gossett were part of the releases. There were many differences in their chapters in Minnesota.
Gossett was a sixth-round draft pick in 2018, the draft right after the best Vikings season of the last decade. The offensive line was a problem at that time, but Gossett couldn’t stick around as he was waived during cutdown day. He made the practice squad, but the Arizona Cardinals poached the lineman halfway through the season, and he appeared in five games with the Cardinals, starting four of them.
But once again, on cutdown day one year later, Gossett was waived, and he joined the New England Patriots practice squad for one week before the team released him. What followed was his first stint with the Browns on their taxi squad. Gossett opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic and was waived on cutdown day in 2021.
In the last two seasons, the Appalachian State product played for the Atlanta Falcons, and he actually turned into a solid depth player, appearing in 31 games, including five starts. Gossett joined the Cleveland Browns earlier in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Their strong blocking unit made it a long shot for him to contribute, but now he ended up as a free agent again.
The good news for the guard is that many teams look for offensive line help, and Gossett can certainly be a solid backup for an NFL franchise. Although the Vikings didn’t keep him around, he has already been in the league for over five years, more than many other sixth-rounders.
Meadors was also cut. The Browns signed him two weeks ago. The safety went undrafted in 2019. Coming out of UCLA, he signed with the Vikings, and his long journey with many destinations began. In 2019, he was signed to the practice squad after not making the roster, but he still ended up on the active roster a couple of times, appearing in two games.
One year later in 2020, Meadors was once again stashed on the practice squad, but he was released a couple of weeks into the season, playing in one more game. Throughout his time in Minnesota, Meadors contributed in three games, logging 11 defensive snaps and 37 on special teams — his only snaps in the NFL.
He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2020 to be a part of their practice squad, and he was active in the contest against the Vikings but didn’t play. The Jaguars waived him in May, and he joined the Philadelphia Eagles, who released him in August after he sustained an injury.
His next stint led him to the practice squad of the Browns, where he spent part of the 2021 season but was waived during the preseason in 2022. The Tennessee Titans signed him to their practice squad leading up to Week 18 in 2022. He also had one month with the New York Giants. The St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL drafted him.
In the XFL, Meadors started eight games, playing in nine total. He caught two interceptions and made 37 tackles. Now 26 years old, Meadors is fighting to keep his dream alive as he is hoping to get signed to someone’s practice squad or 53-man roster as a special teamer and depth safety.
Meadors was waived with an injury designation. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he would revert to the Browns and be placed on their IR, ending his season.
Quarterback Kellen Mond, who was expected to be waived a few days ago before the organization changed its mind, survived the first roster cuts.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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