The fifth and final episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, featuring the Cleveland Browns, took place Tuesday night. Let’s recap the major storylines that were on display. The Stunning Mychal Kendricks News The episode started with the coaches and players hearing and being stunned by the news of LB Mychal Kendricks being involved in inside trading. From tonight’s Hard Knocks: The #Browns learn about Mychal Kendricks’ insider trading charges and Hue Jackson addresses the team telling them Kendricks has been released. pic.twitter.com/kohGAbey4z — NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 5, 2018 The Roster Bubble Cuts I would say that 75% of the episode focused on the gameday performances and then releases of QB Brogan Roback, TE Devon Cajuste, DE Nate Orchard, and DE Carl Nassib. It was rough watching each of their hopes be dampened. We learned that Assistant GM Eliot Wolf is the guy with the not-fun responsibility of calling players up to tell them to come in, informing them of their release. They also then get a quick last talk with head coach Hue Jackson. David Cajuste and his dad have been a joy to watch during #HardKnocks. This moment was heartbreaking but the love this man has for his son is on another level. #Browns pic.twitter.com/E2QvnAuCvR — CHRIS TORELLO (@TorelloSports) September 5, 2018 Announcing the Backup QB Have you ever wondered how a coach tells his No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks which of them will be the official “backup?” Hue Jackson sat Drew Stanton and Baker Mayfield down in his office together. It really wasn’t a surprise given how reps have gone all preseason, so neither player was really surprised by the news. Antonio Callaway Chats With Antonio Brown The Steelers’ receiver had a quick facetime chat with rookie receiver Antonio Callaway: ✌ Miami LEGENDS Antonio Brown giving Antonio Callaway advice b4 Callaway STARTS vs the Steelers in his FIRST NFL game #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/9I2fezmI8Z — BLACK SPORTSCENTER (@VersaceBoyEnt) September 5, 2018 Earned Their Stripes Players “earning their stripes” has been a running theme all season, and served as the conclusion to the series (even if the claimed players or WR Josh Amped up and got goosebumps at the same time. Cannot wait for the @Browns this year. Exciting times ahead. Hurry up, Sunday. #Browns #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/kDg0Yac1Pe — Jeff D Lowe (@JeffDLowe) September 5, 2018 Other Notes When DE Carl Nassib got cut in the second round of waiver cuts, it sucked to have to see veteran DT Jamie Meder in the background, an afterthought to the show. got cut in the second round of waiver cuts, it sucked to have to see veteran DT in the background, an afterthought to the show. Christian Kirksey talked more about his “why,” a callback to earlier in the season. talked more about his “why,” a callback to earlier in the season. The show ended with a quick montage of unseen coaches highlights of Bob Wylie, Todd Haley, and Gregg Williams. A perfect, comedic way to end the Browns’ run on Hard Knocks: Browns #HardKnocks closes with the coaches... Bob Wylie talks about being a ladies man in HS Todd Haley says goodbye Gregg Williams wants you to put something specific in the c block pic.twitter.com/dtBlNKLyTr — Rob Lopez (@r0bato) September 5, 2018 What did you think of the Browns being featured on Hard Knocks? Do you wish they could be on there every year?<doc-sep>In the season finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Cleveland Browns, we get a handful of goodies to lead us into the new NFL season. After four fun weeks, HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Cleveland Browns is coming to an end. As we usually get with the final episode of the season, this fifth episode of Hard Knocks will show the team’s final week of regular season preparation. This includes cutting down the roster. There is more to this episode, however. This episode featured a prominent player being released for an off-the-field issue — one we don’t often see in the NFL. Who was it, and why was he released? Let’s get right into it. Mychal Kendricks was indicted on federal charges of insider trading Imagine having it all … and then having some more. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks was almost there. After winning the Super Bowl with Philadelphia in February, Kendricks wanted more fortune. It goes back to 2013, though, where Kendricks linked up with Damilare Sonoiki, a former investment banker and recent Black-ish writer. Sonoiki relayed private information to Kendricks from 2013-2015 in exchange for $10,000 and Eagles tickets. Kendricks used that information to turn a brokerage account worth $80,000 into $1.2 million in a short time. Like most, the Browns were surprised, too. There wasn’t much said on the show by John Dorsey and Hue Jackson, but there wasn’t much to be said. Kendricks was released by Cleveland, and he now faces jail time.<doc-sep>No Hard Knock Life is harder than that of the Cleveland Browns. Coming off the second 0-16 in NFL history, the Browns drafted one of the most exciting QB prospects to enter the league in years and added veterans that say they hope to change the culture. The team is giving an all-access look at their progress for Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Cleveland Browns, and we’ll be breaking down each episode with what you need to know. Hard Knocks MVP: Todd Haley Aside from Bob Wylie’s dissertation on stretching during World War II, Haley was the only source of what could be described as “wisdom” from the Cleveland coaching staff on this season of the show. Coming from Pittsburgh, Haley was often at odds with the way the Browns operated—which is best summed up by this screenshot from this week’s episode. But his comic relief cemented him as the show’s MVP in Tuesday’s finale. We saw Haley point out that the Rick Ross music blaring during practice seems at odds with the Sunday morning church services happening adjacent to the Browns’ practice field. Haley’s true MVP form was on display as he verbally sparred with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams all August. On Tuesday, he unleashed his masterpiece. Haley, wearing a “Respect the Process” T-shirt, turned to Williams in a meeting. “I’m beginning to find out you have no life outside of this.” Todd Haley, we salute you. Baker Mayfield Update of the Week: Baker’s a Good Hang The episode, which focused on roster cutdowns, was light on Baker, who was almost definitely not going to get released (though you never know with the Browns). After five episodes of Hard Knocks, we can now officially conclude that Baker is funny. Walking out to the final preseason game of the year, Baker told Devon Cajuste, the mineral-obsessed tight end on the roster bubble, “Treat the ball like one of your rocks.” Combined with Episode 3, when Baker asked an assistant coach whether he preferred Nickelback to Brad Paisley, and it seems that Baker is a good hang—but don’t ask him to go skydiving. Athletes, They’re Just Like Us: Getting Fired Sucks Many of the characters we met over the previous four weeks—Cajuste, defensive ends Carl Nassib and Nate Orchard, quarterback Brogan Roback (a.k.a. Brobie; a.k.a. the guy who had Baker list his phone number under BRObie)—were all let go via the same process on cutdown day: Assistant general manager Eliot Wolf asked them to come to the facility. He met with them and sent them to Hue Jackson’s office for a final goodbye, and then they cleared out their things. All the while, Moose the office dog roamed the hallways like the Angel of Death. Cajuste, who has been released before, handled it stoically. Orchard, who had never been released and has children we’d seen throughout the season, was more rattled. Brobie, fresh off the fourth preseason game in which he threw a touchdown pass and ran to the end zone to scoop up the ball as a keepsake, knew he was likely out and spent most of his time thanking everybody. The hardest to see was Nassib, who had already made the 53-man roster but was released when the Browns scooped players cut from other teams off waivers. The most charismatic player of the season was suddenly devoid of personality. Nassib was the fun-loving amateur financial adviser who gave advice based on 10 percent interest rates and floated alien conspiracy theories between plays. But the Nassib we see in this episode wasn’t having fun. Unlike the others, we didn’t see him get the phone call or meet with Wolf. You get the sense Nassib declined a final interview before leaving the facility (as is his right—who wants to talk about being fired on television?)”. Instead, Nassib walked into Jackson’s office, thanked him for the opportunity, and bolted. Nassib signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, so there is hope for him. Still, seeing the show’s class clown reduced to the show’s most serious character was a sobering reminder that everything about the sport—just like the growth rate of the American economy—is fleeting. Tearjerker of the Week (and Season): Devon Cajuste In Episode 2, we met tight end Cajuste’s father, Gregory, who flew to see Cajuste at training camp and said he’s dealt with serious medical problems (including revealing to Devon on camera he had recently had another heart attack). Gregory wasn’t able to come to the final preseason game because of health issues, but he was adamant that Devon would make the team throughout the episode. “Never give up,” Gregory said. “It’s not my time to go, and it’s definitely not his time to go … I’d love him to make this team.” Cajuste did not make the team. The Browns cut him after he flashed strong receiving skills but mixed blocking issues and poorly timed penalties in the final preseason game. Cajuste took the news as would be expected, and headed to a bench overlooking Lake Erie. Clutching his mystical minerals (not rocks! ), Cajuste FaceTimed his father to give him the news. Devon started laughing awkwardly. Gregory interpreted this as good news and began laugh-screaming in pure, ecstatic celebration. Devon cut him off. “So, I got released.” You could see the record frame scratch flash across Gregory’s eyes as his face froze. And then Devon made fun of his dad’s sad face, and the two jubilantly laughed again as Devon explained waivers and how he’ll find the next team. “What do you do now then?” Gregory asked. “I’m just sitting at the bench,” Devon said. As sad as it was to watch players get released, Cajuste’s ability to immediately put the day in perspective while still keeping his eye on his next job was remarkable. Quotes of the Week “People always remember what they see last,” senior offensive assistant Al Saunders said five minutes into the final episode of Hard Knocks. Saunders meant it as motivation for Cajuste in his final preseason game, but surely it was on the minds of the show’s producers when they chose to end on the following quote from Gregg Williams. “Put your testicles in the C-gap,” Williams said in the final outtake of the closing credits of the season. The clip will surely go viral in the next few days, and it perfectly represented the dichotomy of Williams—funny, but also constantly reminding us that he shouldn’t be allowed to coach in the NFL after the Bountygate scandal, whether it’s criticizing cornerback Denzel Ward after getting injured, defending the players hitting Baker Mayfield in practice, or screaming at his team at halftime in the preseason games like a sadistic Little League coach. Yet the lasting image in this episode that will stick with me is not Williams talking about testicles, or Haley telling him to get a life, or even Hue Jackson telling Roback that “dreams don’t die.” It’s 22-year-old Myles Garrett tutoring the 25-year-old Nate Orchard on rushing the passer. Orchard, who converted from outside linebacker to defensive end last year as part of Williams’s arrival in 2017, struggled with consistency. Working with Orchard after practice, Garrett uncovered why: Orchard uses a different stance for rushing the passer than he does defending the run, and he guesses each time. Defensively, this is malpractice. Orchard admitted the run stance he uses makes him slower getting to the quarterback. “Well we only got 2.5 seconds,” Garrett said. “You haven’t thought of trying to rush in the same stance? “I haven’t,” Orchard said. The next game, Orchard had his best performance of the preseason and returned a pick-six for a touchdown. Orchard switched positions but wasn’t coached in the most basic aspect of that switch—the way he puts his hand onto the ground. It went unnoticed by his coaches for more than a year and was pointed out only when Garrett—a second-year player—said something. Orchard’s story was merely an anecdote, but it also spoke volumes about the Browns’ inability to develop talent despite a cornucopia of draft picks in recent years.<doc-sep>
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images Some cuts are deeper than others. After introducing national audiences to players such as quarterback Brogan Roback, tight end Devon Cajuste, and defensive ends Carl Nassib and Nate Orchard, Tuesday's finale of Hard Knocks with the Cleveland Browns brought the end of the road for many of the season's primary players. All four were among those cut on an episode featuring roster trimming, the team's final preseason game against the Detroit Lions and linebacker Mychal Kendricks' release. HBO started with the coaching staff and front office finding out about Kendricks' insider trading charges and even captured offensive coordinator Todd Haley asking general manager John Dorsey if the linebacker was going to jail. Kendricks was seen giving insider tips to his teammates about his old team, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the previous episode, but it was another type of insider information that got him in trouble. Alicia Victoria Lozano of NBC Philadelphia reported Kendricks was "facing federal insider trading charges" after making "nearly $1.2 million by trading ahead of four acquisition announcements from 2013 to 2015." The Browns ultimately announced they released the linebacker, and head coach Hue Jackson broke the news to his team by explaining "there's decisions and there's consequences." The looming cuts hovered over nearly everything else in Tuesday's episode, as the usual suspects saw plenty of camera time. Video Play Button Videos you might like Orchard received pass-rushing tips from Myles Garrett; Cajuste's father, Gregory, was emotional talking about his son's chances at making the team and watching the game; and Roback's family and girlfriend, Ally Goff, were plenty nervous watching him receive extensive playing time from the stands in Detroit. Cleveland won the game 35-17 to finish the preseason at 3-1, and Baker Mayfield impressed in his first start. He was unstoppable for stretches and led the Browns to a 25-0 halftime lead before handing the reins to Roback. Cajuste caught a 41-yard pass on one of the touchdown drives—inspiring his father to say "he's gotta make it"—Orchard intercepted a Matt Cassel pass and returned it for a touchdown, Nassib pressured the quarterback, and Roback threw a touchdown and kept the ball. Despite the impressive plays, it wouldn't be a season of Hard Knocks without a montage of emotional cut scenes where the coaches and front office urge the players to keep pushing and not give up on their NFL dreams. Roback, Cajuste, Orchard and Nassib all received the dreaded call to come into the office on cut day, and HBO gave them each lengthy send-offs where assistant general manager Eliot Wolf and Jackson explained the thought process behind the moves. Nassib at least received positive news, as the episode revealed he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was released by the Browns. The roster decisions weren't limited to who made the team, as Jackson revealed Tyrod Taylor will lead the way under center once the season starts: With the difficult decisions on starters, cuts and training camp in the rearview mirror, attention turns to Sunday's season opener against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland will be under the spotlight this year as it attempts to bounce back from an 0-16 effort, especially after being featured in the HBO show, and the Steelers are the most direct obstacle to overcome in the AFC North. Pittsburgh won the division three of the last four years, and the Browns have the opportunity to parlay all the work from Hard Knocks into quite the opening statement.