Cleveland, after reportedly trying to trade Joe Haden this week, cut him early Wednesday morning .

Haden’s play has slipped but it’s hard to imagine the Browns, coming off a 1-15 season, have 53 players better than the 28-year-old former first-round pick.

Haden isn’t the player he was a few years ago, when he was among the best cornerbacks in football, and he won’t command anywhere near a huge deal.

In a pass-happy league there is always a use for a solid cornerback, and it’s rare to see a player like Haden become a free agent at this point in the year.

The Browns got a jump on that, giving us a fairly big surprise a few days early.