Soul complete first round of roster cuts
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Friday marked the first round of roster cuts across Arena Football League training camps, and the Soul let go of six players to meet the league requirements.
Among those cuts are two wide receivers, two defensive linemen and one offensive lineman and defensive back apiece.
The two receivers were Tyrone Collins and Armand Robinson.
Both Collins and Armand Robinson entered a crowded receiving corp. heading into camp that was heavy with experienced AFL veterans such as Tiger Jones, Jackie Chambers and Andrae Thurman.
The numbers game seemingly caught up with Collins and Armand Robinson.
The two defensive linemen were Brandon Johnson and Michael Robinson. Both Johnson and Michael Robinson had very little AFL experience coming into camp and that probably had something to do with them being let go.
On top of that, the Soul brought versatile guys into camp such as Morkeith Brown and Andre Mathis, who can line up with their hand on and off the ground, increasing their value to the team.
The lone defensive back to be released was Jeff Hodges. Hodges played for Soul head coach Clint Dolezel while they were with the San Angelo Stampede Express of the IFL in 2010.
Clearly, that had no effect on Dolezel’s decision on whether to keep Hodges around or not as he did not survive the first cuts. Hodges hasn’t played professional football since 2011 and it probably played a role in him being released.
Rounding out the first set of cuts is offensive lineman Marcus Gordon. Gordon was another player with very little AFL experience heading into camp.
With two offensive line spots essentially assured to Christian Johnson and Brennen Carvalho, it meant two less spots on the roster to fight for.
The next round of cuts in the AFL are scheduled for March 16, when teams are required to cut down from 28 to 24 active players.
