The Cleveland Browns have waived former UGA safety Richard LeCounte. Will he sign with Cleveland’s practice squad?
The Cleveland Browns have waived former Georgia Bulldogs star safety Richard LeCounte. Cleveland selected LeCounte with a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
LeCounte appeared in nine games for the Browns in 2021 and recorded three total tackles. The former University of Georgia standout was a playmaker in college. LeCounte finished his UGA career with 176 total tackles, eight interceptions, and four forced fumbles.
There’s a chance that Cleveland signs LeCounte to its practice squad after waiving the former Georgia Bulldog. The Browns waived LeCounte in order to make room for guard Drew Forbes, who was previously with the Detroit Lions.
Richard LeCounte had 10 pass deflections during his career with the Georgia Bulldogs from 2017-2020. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Richard LeCounte has played in one game during the 2022 NFL season. LeCounte played special teams snaps against the Atlanta Falcons in the Browns’ loss to Atlanta.
Get ready for gameday! Former Georgia All-SEC and NFL pro tackle, John Theus, joins our podcast to tell stories of his time in Athens and thoughts on the 2022 season. Listen here.
The Cleveland Browns selected Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte with the 169th pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Now, LeCounte is already looking like a great pick for Cleveland.
Richard LeCounte’s impressive NFL preseason performances earner him a shoutout from famed musician and rapper Quavo.
Quavo proclaims, via Twitter, that Richard LeCounte is the steal of the 2021 NFL draft:
Richard Lecounte III 👀👀👀 Steal Of The Draft!!! @Browns
Quavo, who is the vocalist for the hip hop trio Migos, is a little bit biased toward the Georgia Bulldogs. Quavo was born in Athens, Georgia, has attended several Georgia football games over the years including a few big games that Richard LeCounte played in. He’s certainly one of the more famous celebrity fans of UGA.
So far, Richard LeCounte looks sharp in the NFL. He recorded an interception and deflected pass for the Cleveland Browns in his NFL preseason debut and then intercepted another pass in his second preseason game.
Cleveland Browns safety Richard LeCounte III after picking off New York Giants quarterback Brian Lewerke in the end zone to end their NFL preseason football game. Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal
LeCounte was a ballhawk at Georgia and it looks like he will continue to be one in the NFL. LeCounte fell in the 2021 NFL draft due to concerns about his health after he suffered serious injuries in an traffic accident. When LeCounte is healthy, he has a knack for making the big play.
Former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte intercepts, deflects pass for Cleveland Browns
Former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte recorded an interception and deflected pass for the Cleveland Browns in his NFL preseason debut. LeCounte looks healthy and fast.
LeCounte was a ballhawk at Georgia and looks like he may continue that trend in the NFL. LeCounte fell in the 2021 NFL draft due to concerns about his health, but when LeCounte is healthy, he has a knack for making the big play.
LeCounte showed off his range at safety when he deflected a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars. LeCounte nearly intercepted Gardner Minshew on the play:
Wow. #Browns 5th Rd draft pick Richard LeCounte just made a play from the free safety position that I've never seen Sheldrick Redwine make in 2 years: pic.twitter.com/KqqUwgbdOT
If LeCounte keeps making plays like this, it will be hard for him not to see significant playing time for the Browns. Cleveland may have gotten one of the steals of the 2021 NFL draft.
LeCounte fell to the fifth round of the draft due to a motorcycle accident he was involved in during his time at Georgia. LeCounte missed most of Georgia’s bowl game and did not test well ahead of the draft.
Based on the tape, there were not close to 168 players better than Richard LeCounte in the 2021 NFL draft. LeCounte will use falling in the draft as motivation.
Madden 22 ratings: Former Georgia football star Nick Chubb
Madden, the popular NFL video game produced by EA Sports, has released some player ratings for the 2022 edition that comes out on Aug. 20.
One of the first players rated is former Georgia football standout Nick Chubb. The Cleveland Browns running back is the game’s 2nd highest rated back at 96 overall out of a possible 99.
Chubb has taken the league by storm since being drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2018 draft. Since then, the Cedartown, Ga., native is the top running back in the league, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
It’s workouts like these that makes Chubb such a problem for defenses.
Former Georgia football star Nick Chubb ranked among current NFL stars
Georgia football has had a knack for brewing NFL greats.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released a list containing the top-50 current NFL Players and the Bulldogs are represented once again by former UGA great Nick Chubb.
The Cleveland Browns running back is rated as the No. 37 player in the league. Chubb also made the list last year, coming in at No. 27.
Chubb missed four games last season but was still able to finish with a great year. The Cedartown, Ga., native racked up1,067 yards on 190 carries (5.6 avg.) and 12 touchdowns, while adding 16 catches for 150 yards.
ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes thinks Chubb is already the league’s top running back.
"I think Nick Chubb is the best running back in the NFL and I don't care who knows it!"
Since the Browns drafted Chubb with the No. 35 overall pick in 2018, Chubb has been the league’s most efficient runner. PFF has graded Chubb as the top runner in the NFL over the last three seasons. In 2020, he finished second in the league in rushing while ranking second in broken tackles (66).
This all after a 2019 season where Chubb exploded for 1,494 yards on the ground, second only to Titans star Derick Henry.
Chubb’s NFL success is no surprise to DawgNation, who watched the young star develop into one of the best running backs in Georgia history. And at ‘RBU’, we don’t take that lightly.
Chubb took over for an injured Todd Gurley as a freshman and went off for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.
After a serious knee injury in his sophomore season, Chubb returned the following year and bounced back for 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns.
Then, in his senior season, Chubb rushed for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns, became Georgia football’s second all-time leading rusher and helped lead the Bulldogs to a national championship appearance.
Jan 1, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) runs in a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the fourth quarter in the 2018 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns selected former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte in the fifth round and Twitter reacted
The Cleveland Browns selected former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte in the fifth round with the 169th pick. LeCounte is one of the most productive defensive backs in Georgia football history.
Richard LeCounte is a playmaker on defense. The Browns are getting a big-hitter who causes a lot of turnovers. In fact, LeCounte forced a dozen turnovers over his final three seasons at the University of Georgia.
LeCounte was involved in a motorcycle accident that kept him out for the latter part of 2020 season and caused him to fall in the 2021 NFL draft. Now, the former five-star recruit out of Liberty County High School will look to continue his recovery and prepare for the 2021 NFL season.
The Cleveland Browns are getting a steal in LeCounte. Browns fans have a lot to look forward to for the upcoming season.
Here’s how social media reacted as the Cleveland Browns drafted Richard LeCounte:
Richard LeCounte is just an awesome football player. Traffic accident and resulting injuries impacted his draft stock but if he can get back to 100 percent, Cleveland just got a steal. He was the best defensive player in the SEC when healthy last year.
Richard LeCounte is one of the best steals in this whole draft. He is absolutely NOT a 4.8 guy on tape. Different kind of dude with pads on. Browns don't even need him, but he's just too good to pass up.
New #Browns safety Richard LeCounte said RB Nick Chubb took him under his wing when LeCounte was "knucklehead" freshman at Georgia. Now they're teammates again
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is one of the greatest runners in Georgia history and now he is dominating the NFL.
Georgia’s second all-time leading rusher, now Cleveland Brown Nick Chubb is one of the most beloved running backs in UGA history, which is saying something.
‘RBU’ has produced some of the greatest runners in football history, including guys who went on to dominate beyond the college level.
Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Terrell Davis, Knowshon Moreno and Todd Gurley are just some of the Bulldogs who made a name in the NFL beyond their time in Athens.
It’s time to add Chubb to the list.
The Cedartown, Georgia native has averaged 128 yards per game since returning from an MCL sprain four weeks ago, including an astonishing 6.7 yards per carry.
In the Browns win vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, Chubb ran 19 times for 144 yards and this touchdown.
On the year, Chubb has totaled 115 carries for 719 yards and six touchdowns.
Chubb has built himself into one of the best runners in the NFL, so it’s safe to say the Browns didn’t miss with the second round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Just think back to 2016 at UGA when Chubb suffered a devastating knee injury vs. Tennessee. He has truly come back better than ever and I am loving every bit of it.
Cleveland Browns and former Georgia Bulldog running back Nick Chubb ran out of bounds instead of risking a potential comeback loss.
The Cleveland Browns gave former Georgia Bulldog running back Nick Chubb the ball with the game on the line. Nick Chubb did not let Cleveland down.
On third-and-3, with a little more than a minute to go Nick Chubb took a toss play outside the hash marks, made a man miss and he was off to the races. Nobody was catching Nick Chubb, but that didn’t stop him from going out of bounds at the 1-yard line instead of scoring a touchdown.
Chubb knew the game’s situation well. If he scored, then Cleveland would be up 17-7, but the Houston Texans would’ve gotten the ball back. Sure, Houston would’ve needed multiple scores in under a minute, but NFL fans saw some crazy things this past week including a Hail Mary catch by DeAndre Hopkins.
Instead of scoring, Chubb put his team first and ran the ball out of bounds. Cleveland kneeled a few times and won 10-7. Here’s the play where Nick Chubb ripped out the clutch run to put the game away:
Chubb’s fantasy managers will be upset, but Nick Chubb cares about winning, not about fantasy sports. Chubb was happy to return from injury and improve Cleveland’s playoff hopes. The Browns are 6-3 overall and will look to lean on Nick Chubb moving forward.
Former Georgia Bulldog and current Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb will return following a sprained MCL he suffered in week four.
Former Georgia Bulldogs star and current Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb will return for Cleveland this week. Chubb will provide a boost to the Browns, who need him in order to attempt to make the postseason.
Nick Chubb is returning to action following a right MCL sprain he suffered in Cleveland’s Week 4 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Chubb is averaging an impressive 5.9 yards per carry on the season. In four games, the University of Georgia product ran for 335 rushing yards and scored four rushing touchdowns.
Fantasy football managers with Chubb on their roster will be happy to see him return. Despite his recent injury, Chubb is a must-start player in all formats. Chubb’s return reduces the value of Cleveland running back Kareem Hunt. Look for Hunt to continue to have a significant role in the passing game.
Cleveland is currently 5-3 overall. The Browns went 2-2 without Nick Chubb and will need him to defeat the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon. The Browns are in the mix in the AFC’s playoff hunt. The NFL’s expanded postseason gives the Browns a better chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Earlier this week, Chubb returned to practice. He rocked a knee brace at practice, but looks explosive. See for yourself:
