We expected it to happen today, and now it has: Ben Tate is a Brown.
Tate announced on Twitter that he has signed with Cleveland, via a picture of himself in a Browns hat, and the team officially announced the signing on Twitter as well.
Coming out of Auburn in 2010, Tate was seen as a good prospect, and the Texans chose him in the second round of the draft. But Tate broke his ankle and missed his entire rookie season. In three seasons since then, Tate has played well while splitting carries with Arian Foster in Houston.
In Cleveland, Tate instantly becomes by far the best running back on the roster. Last year Willis McGahee led the Browns in rushing with 377 yards on 138 carries, a meager average of 2.7 yards an attempt. Suffice to say the Browns are expecting a lot more than that out of Tate in 2014. And a Cleveland team that has also signed safety Donte Whitner, linebacker Karlos Dansby, tight end Jim Dray and receiver Andrew Hawkins is expecting a lot more than the 4-12 or 5-11 records that have become the norm.