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Roster trimmed to 76 players

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August 28, 2007

Associated Press

CLEVELAND -- The Browns cut nine players Monday, including undrafted rookie kicker Jesse Ainsworth who was unable to unseat veteran Phil Dawson.

Other cuts included defensive back Therrian Fontenot, defensive end Orien Harris, tight end Buck Ortega and wide receivers Mike Mason and Kendrick Mosley. Fontenot played one game for Cleveland last season and Harris appeared in two games.

The Browns also waived injured fullback J.R. Niklos, defensive back Justin Sandy and wide receiver Efrem Hill, who caught quarterback Brady Quinn's first TD pass against Detroit on Aug. 18.

The Browns placed punter Kyle Basler and defensive lineman Alvin Smith on the non-football injury NFL Europa list.

Cleveland's roster stands at 76 players and must be trimmed to 75 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Browns must reduce their roster to 53 players on Saturday for the regular season.