Browns receiver Nate Burleson has hurt his chances of making the team by not staying healthy. Will he be cut on Saturday?
BEREA, Ohio -- Browns receiver Nate Burleson returned to practice Monday for the first time since straining a hamstring on Aug. 6, but coach Mike Pettine cautioned that the 12th-year pro isn't a lock to make the final roster Saturday.
"It does hurt your chances not being out there, but it's something where we'll consider his entire body of work,'' said Pettine.
Pettine first let on during a conference call on Saturday that the 33-year-old could be in trouble when asked about him and Miles Austin, who missed the entire offseason with a hamstring injury but has made it through camp healthy.
"It's a little more concerning with Nate just because he's missed so much time,'' Pettine said. "It's tough with guys you think are going to be out there and you're not getting quality reps with them, which as I've said a bunch of times, there's just no substitute for that work."
In addition to the hamstring, Burleson missed all of organized team activities and the mandatory minicamp after undergoing minor surgery to repair a plate in his surgically repaired arm, the one he broke in two places last September while trying to save a pizza from falling off the passenger seat.
He started camp healthy and looked poised for a solid 12th season -- until he pulled up lame with the hamstring in practice about a week in. He's missed all three preseason games and participated only in individual drills Monday, meaning he might not play Thursday night against the Bears. At this point, why risk it for the fourth meaningless preseason game?
"As a player, you've always got to be worried (about making the team),'' Burleson said last week before the Rams game. "That's the nature of the business. Hopefully I've put enough film on tape at practice to convince them that I'm a guy they need on this squad. But for me, it's just getting healthy. I would love to force the issue and go out here and do something, but I've got to be smart.''
While Burleson is realistic, "I never try to stress myself out about (making the roster). After 12 years, you just control what you can control. You show up and work. I've played in just about every preseason game for 12 years, so it's not in my character, trait or my makeup as a professional athlete to sit out practices or games. I'm too much a competitor.
"If you talk to the trainers, they'll tell you I've been harassing them for the last the week or so to let me practice. So, yeah, I just show up and go to work and try to do my job, and my job is to heal up and give the best product out on the field. So we'll see what happens. I guess I'm pretty even-keeled when it comes to that stuff."
Burleson, who celebrated a birthday just last week, stressed that even at his advanced football age, he wants to play in these practice games.
"The preseason for me is a big deal,'' he said. "I like it because it helps me with my confidence and creates momentum for me for the regular season. "(Everybody's) like, 'Hey, just heal up, man. We know what you can do.' And that's reassuring, but at the same time, it is a business. I want to play because that's what I get paid to do.
"They brought me here for a reason and that's to add a spark plug to this offense and make plays when the ball's thrown to me. And then after that, I'm new here. So no new guy wants to be on the sideline and I know that first hand."
A natural-born leader who organized a receiver dinner this offseason and is a mentor for the young receivers, Burleson knows how much the Browns are counting on him, especially with Josh Gordon set to exit stage left any day now.
"Oh yeah 100 percent, which is why you don't see me around here skipping and smiling and cracking jokes too much,'' said Burleson, signed to a one-year free-agent deal in the offseason worth $1.02 million. "This is serious to me. I'm probably the most optimistic guy. I've always got a smile on my face. I'm a glass-half-full type of individual. When I'm on the sideline (injured), all that disappears from me. I literally am sick just because this is my job. I don't take this lightly at all.
"They cut the check for me to come out here and make plays and be a leader, and it's tough for me to do that on the sideline. It's just my personality. I'm more quiet. I'm up here 6 a.m., 7 a.m., trying to do whatever I can to get on the field. And on top of that, watching the games, seeing where there are opportunities to be made and not just that, bringing a level of energy that can ignite the team and ignite the offense. I'm that guy that celebrates the first down. I'm that guy that barks, yells and screams. I'm that guy that challenges the offense in the huddle. I know what I'm capable of doing. It's just hard to watch when you're not doing it.
"But the good thing is, this is the preseason. It's only preseason game two and all of the people in my inner circle have been telling me that, because I've been complaining to them behind closed doors, like 'I'm sick of this.' But they say 'Look, man, the preseason's for a reason and you've been playing for 12 years, I think everybody knows how passionate you are.' Yeah, hopefully I can just get out on the field, give you guys a taste of what I'm about before the season starts and then hit the ground running for 16 games.''
At one point in camp, Burleson went stride for a stride with a young cornerback and made a fine leaping catch. On his jog back down the sidelines, he turned to reporters and said playfully, 'Did you see that, did you see that?' ''
It was plays like that that made Burleson realize he could coax another season out of his journeyman body.
"After 12 years, I realize how tough it is to wake up everyday,'' he said. "I told myself, if I can't get open, then I'll retire. And going up against some of these young guys, getting open consistently over the last couple of weeks, it gave me a lot of confidence. I said that because I think we can do something special here and the plan for every football player is to ride off in the sunset after a great year.
"I think we have the capability to do it. Obviously we have some chemistry things we need to work on, everybody's still learning the system, learning the playbook, and once we do what we need to do throughout the rest of this preseason, I think we can do that, so when I mentioned (retirement to reporters in Detroit), it was more about me writing the perfect ending to this movie and that's playing a tremendous season, giving Cleveland what they've always wanted in their football team which a team they can be proud of and then walking off into the sunset.''
He stressed that he's all in for this season, even though it's likely his last.
"I don't know if you guys notice, man, but when I step on this grass, it brings life to me, so that comment has no indication on how I feel about this sport,'' he said. "I love this dearly and I was born to play football and I'm committed to this organization 100 percent.
And if all goes well this year, who knows if he'll even be able to walk away?
"The plan is to go out there and be the best 33-year-old wide receiver, make some plays, put up some numbers and then make the decision from there,'' he said. "I want to do something special here, as an organization and as an individual. I want to be able to show these young guys that you can age with grace and still make plays, and that's my plan. I've got a lot of selfish intentions to the season. I feel like I can do something and be very productive statistically. But first and foremost I've got to be here to help this squad.''
Hopefully for Burleson, the Browns still think so too.