The Browns have decided to move on from cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, a top prospect in the 2015 draft who slid to round seven after tearing an ACL in December 2014. But it hardly means that his career is over.
Ekpre-Olomu feels fine, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT. He’s currently able to dunk a basketball again, and he’s routinely working out with NFL-caliber players, covering receivers and otherwise performing at a high level. The Browns, however, became concerned about his ability to play 16 regular-season games based on the contents of a recent MRI of his knee.
It’s Cleveland’s prerogative to have that concern, and to exercise their privilege to release the player from the non-football injury list. The question now becomes whether another team will claim on waivers a player with a low-end, minimum salary deal that covers the next three years.
Ekpre-Olomu is scheduled to visit this week with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired the ACL following the original injury. Dr. El Attrache already has cleared Ekpre-Olomu; the goal is to check the knee again in order to confirm that he’s indeed good to go.
It’s possible that Dr. ElAttrache will eventually clean out scar tissue, if that’s the issue creating concern in the MRI.
If Dr. ElAttrache concludes once again that Ekpre-Olomu is good to go, that could mean the Rams will be interested; Dr. ElAttrache’s online bio shows that he’s a consultant to the Rams.
Ekpre-Olomu likely will officially hit the waiver wire on Monday, giving all teams a 24-hour window for claiming the balance of his contract. If unclaimed, he’ll become a free agent.