Stallworth's Play With Browns Didn't Justify Second Chance

The Baltimore Ravens gave Donte' Stallworth another chance at an NFL career -- which is intriguing, because Stallworth's two-year experience in Cleveland should have had teams running from him instead of trying to sign him.

When the Ravens signed Stallworth, they talked about his rehabilitation after his plea deal for a 2009 DUI manslaughter conviction, about his attitude, and about his work while he was suspended for the '09 season.

They also marveled at his speed when Stallworth ran the 40 for them -- SI's Peter King wrote that Stallworth ran the fastest time ever on Baltimore's "slow" track. (Fitting that the Ravens would like that time, because this is the week of the Scouting Combine, when scouts and NFL types stand and gawk at players running the 40 and walking around in their underwear.)

The Ravens signed Stallworth to a contract that will pay him $900,000 this season -- if he makes the team.
But will he?

Based on his Cleveland days, that's open for debate.

To be fair to Stallworth, a lot of folks flamed out in Cleveland the past couple years. Things were miserable, leaving the careers of Stallworth, Derek Anderson and others in a peculiar kind of Browns-induced limbo (Braylon Edwards would have joined the group had he not punched out a buddy of Lebron James, thus getting himself dispatched to the Jets).

But Stallworth's flameout was especially noteworthy -- and he brought it on himself.

He joined the Browns in the first week of free agency in 2008. The previous season, the Browns had gone 10-6, with Edwards, Joe Jurevicius and tight end Kellen Winslow providing a formidable trio in the passing attack. There was no true third wideout, but that didn't matter as the Browns offense relied on Winslow as a quasi-No. 3 and had tremendous success.

In February, though, Jurevicius went to then-GM Phil Savage and then-coach Romeo Crennel and said he didn't think his body could take the pounding of starting any more. Jurevicius was entering his 11th season, and he thought he'd be better as the third receiver.

The Browns signed Stallworth, who had started the 2008 season in New England as a starter, but finished as a backup to Jabbar Gaffney. Stallworth had 46 catches, but only six in the season's final four games. The Patriots had given Stallworth a six-year contract, but had to pay him a $6 million option bonus to keep him.

They declined.
So the Browns paid him -- signing him to a seven-year, $35 million deal. The speed with which the Browns acted and the money they paid was eyebrow-raising, but the Browns were tantalized by the thought of the speedy Stallworth lining up across from Edwards.

Things went fine initially. Stallworth fit in, bonded with Edwards and proved to be an enjoyable, intelligent presence in the locker room.

But during training camp in early August, Stallworth and Edwards decided to race each other after practice. Edwards ran in bare feet. Stallworth had on his spikes. On the last step of the race, Stallworth stepped on the back of Edwards' foot, opening a deep gash that would sideline Edwards for the next two games.

The Browns released few details about the injury, but the gash was deep enough and open enough that Edwards' Achilles' tendon was visible.

Suffice it to say that the injury set back Edwards, and it looked like it affected Stallworth, who seemed to overcompensate for Edwards' absence in preseason games.

Then during warmups prior to the season opener, Stallworth pulled a quad muscle. The injury was not unusual, but the timing was. A very highly paid player had sidelined himself just prior to his debut at his new home stadium ... prompting one former Brown to quip if it were him, he'd have done anything to get on the field for the home crowd, including taking a shot.

The injury forced Stallworth to miss the season's first four games.

He returned for a Week 5 Monday night win over the Giants -- the team's high point of a lousy 4-12 season -- and he caught two, two, three and four passes the next four games, respectively. The four reception-game was Stallworth's high point.

The remaining seven games, Stallworth never had more than one catch in a game. The Browns were using third- and fourth-team quarterbacks in some of those games, but Stallworth had a total of 66 receiving yards the final six games.

Even in the games he did catch a pass, Stallworth did little with them, averaging just nine yards per catch. He'd catch a pass and pump his arms and legs and try to gain yards, but wound up looking more like a Tasmanian devil going nowhere. He finished the season with 17 receptions.

The following March, the Browns had a decision to make: Cut Stallworth, or keep him and pay him a $4.5 million roster bonus. The numbers from '08 did not warrant the bonus; the potential did.

The Browns paid.

The night the bonus was paid, Stallworth celebrated with Edwards at the lounge of the Fountainbleu Hotel on Miami Beach. He drove home, slept for a while, then got up to eat breakfast. While driving on a causeway to Key Biscayne, he hit and killed a pedestrian -- 59-year-old Mario Reyes -- who had stepped on the road outside a crosswalk.

Stallworth tested positive for being under the influence, pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter, spent 24 days of a 30-day sentence in jail, then was suspended for the season by commissioner Roger Goodell.

He wound up twittering his way through the '09 season, and signed with Baltimore just more than a week after being reinstated by Goodell.

For 11 games and 17 receptions, the Browns paid Stallworth $9.6 million, which works out to $872,727 per game and $564,705 per catch (is this a great country or what?).

Now he joins the Ravens, a team that badly needs receivers. He's coming off a year of forced exodus and is five years removed from his best season. The $900,000 the Ravens will pay him represents little risk. They can assess him in training camp, and if they don't like what they see they don't have to keep him -- or pay him.

Which makes the deal the ultimate low-risk chance at the high-risk player.