Multiple reports say that former Browns C LeCharles Bentley has settled the two-year-old lawsuit he had against the team. The lawsuit came after Bentley suffered a career-ending staph infection while with the team in 2006-07 when he was rehabiltating a knee injury.

According to Cleveland.com, court records show the case is pending but both Bentley and the Browns have confirmed that an agreement has been reached.

Bentley announced the settlement Monday night in a statement that he released to Fox Sports. “These last six years have been the most trying time of my life, but now that it is over I can honestly say I am a better man for having gone through it,” he said. “Randy Lerner and I — two men born and raised in Cleveland — were able to sit down face-to-face back in June and come to an agreement that was fair.”

Bentley, a Cleveland native and a two-time Pro Bowler with the Saints, signed a six-year contract with his hometown Browns as a free agent in 2006. However, he tore a tendon in his left knee on the first day of training camp in ’06 and never played another down.

He sued the Browns in 2010, saying that the team convinced him to rehabilitate his injured knee at its headquarters without telling him about other players who had contracted staph infections there.

Former Browns WR Joe Jurevicius, who also sued the Browns and reached an undisclosed settlement in 2010, was one player who had a staph infection. So did former Browns Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, Brian Russell and Ben Taylor.

Browns CB Joe Haden tested positive for Adderall during an offseason drug test and could face a four-game suspension, according to ESPN Cleveland.

Adderall, which is commonly used to treat attention deficit disorder, is among the NFL’s banned substances. Recently, Giants S Tyler Sash was suspended for using Adderall. He is appealing the suspension.

Haden is entering his third NFL season. In 2011, he started all 15 games in which he played and made 65 tackles, one sack, 19 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had six interceptions as a rookie.

The way we see it

Haden, who is one of the AFC’s better young cornerbacks, can be a top-caliber performer on his best. Dimitri Patterson and Sheldon Brown likely would be the starters if Haden were to miss four games, and the club’s CB depth would take a hit.

Say this for the Browns — they’re dithering less than they used to, and that's a nice change of pace. They are a work in progress, but at least they picked a lane and stepped on the gas. I don’t know if Brandon Weeden will be the long-term answer at quarterback, but I do know that a summer-long quarterback competition between Weeden, Seneca Wallace and Colt McCoy would have been a mistake.

Here is something I’ve learned over the years about QB battles: the longer they go, it’s uncomfortably likely a club doesn’t know what to do at the position. I mean, look at what the Browns did five years ago, when Charlie Frye started the opener, bombed and was traded two days later. Three years ago, head coach Eric Mangini didn’t name Brady Quinn the starter over Derek Anderson until the week before the season opener. Quinn lasted 2½ games before he was benched.

Could Weeden struggle early? Sure. Growing pains are likely in a West Coast scheme that can take multiple years to master. I suspect there will be moments where the Browns’ passing game looks just awful. Nevertheless, I have no problem with deciding to go with the 28-year-old Weeden from the start, because it’s a decision. The Browns saw what they needed to see from Weeden early in camp, and they are going with him.

Is this unfair to McCoy and Wallace? You could build a case, but I won’t. It wasn’t as if both quarterbacks didn’t have their chances to impress coaches and management. McCoy started 13 games in 2011 and eight the previous season. Wallace made three starts a season ago, four in 2010. Now, were these optimal opportunities for both quarterbacks? Of course not. Neither will have the supporting cast Weeden will have at his disposal. It’s possible both could be more productive this season than they were the last two campaigns with Trent Richardson in the backfield and more playmaking ability at wideout, with supplemental draft pick Josh Gordon the latest addition.

If you’re mad about the Browns naming a rookie as the starting QB right off the bat in 2012, that is reasonable, but you should be livid about their inaction on adding skill-position talent the previous three seasons. Only in the last couple of months have the Browns really revamped their offensive depth chart. The decision to pass on Julio Jones in the 2011 draft looks shaky considering Jones’ rookie production, obvious upside and relative low cost. Also, why didn’t the club add more veteran pass-catching help the past two offseasons? While president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert have done well to rework the roster, the offense, even with the recent additions, still looks like the AFC North’s worst on paper.

About that: Those waiting for the rest of the division pack to start fading toward Cleveland best be patient. The Steelers and Ravens won’t go quietly, even with some of their defensive stars closer to the end than the beginning of their careers. Both teams, of course, have quarterbacks in their primes, too. The Bengals cannot be discounted, either, and appear capable of sustained success.

The Browns were going to have it tough in the division this season no matter the quarterback. Cleveland has won only one divisional game in the past two seasons — a 2010 win vs. Cincinnati in which Wallace started. The Browns were 0-8 in McCoy’s starts vs. the North in his first two NFL seasons.

These statistics should be viewed with some context. The context? The Browns have struggled recently, and they have struggled mightily.  

So, can you blame them for going a different route at quarterback? The Browns will learn more about what they have in Weeden, and that is the beauty of it. Let’s see if the kid … er, man … can play.

By Steve DiMatteo

Cleveland is a receiver-starved city, desperate for any kind of reliable production from its WR corps. Since Braylon Edwards’ departure during the 2009 season, finding wide receiver help has been an exercise in futility.

Mohamed Massaquoi, a second-round pick in 2009, was supposed to be the No. 1 option, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations. Brian Robiskie was a disastrous second-round pick from ’09  and is no longer with the team. TE Ben Watson actually led the team in receiving in 2010 with 763 yards. The Browns have even tried to convert KR Josh Cribbs into a viable receiving option, which has produced mixed results.

With that desperation reaching a fever pitch after yet another dismal season of offense in 2011, the Browns took a chance on WR Josh Gordon in the second round of this year’s supplemental draft.

Despite displaying intriguing talent at Baylor in 2010, when he caught 42 passes for 714 yards and seven touchdowns during his sophomore season, Gordon’s off-field behavior is a cause for concern. From failed drug tests to a marijuana arrest, he has a checkered past that led him to transfer from Baylor to Utah after being suspended indefinitely before the 2011 season.

Rather than play his senior year at Utah (after sitting out last season), Gordon chose to enter the supplemental draft this summer. And, other than his off-field issues, scouts have had many good things to say about him. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to become a standout receiver and could have been a second- or third-round pick in the 2013 draft had he played college ball this season.

Naturally, the inclination will be to compare Gordon’s rookie campaign to that of 2011 second-round WR Greg Little. For starters, Little has had off-field problems of his own. The Browns took him in the second round despite the fact that he had sat out the previous season after lying to investigators about receiving travel accommodations and jewelry from agents while at North Carolina.

The two receivers even have similar builds — Little is 6-2, 220 pounds and Gordon is 6-3, 225 pounds — so the comparisons were bound to happen.

In his rookie season, Little caught 61 passes for 709 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a major problem with drops (12) and was dealing with a stagnant offense that finished 29th in the league in yards per game.

This doesn’t mean Little’s stats should be used as a barometer for Gordon, however. Consider what Gordon has working against him. His quarterback — Brandon Weeden — is a rookie; his running back, while full of potential, is a rookie as well; the offensive line has been inconsistent; and, perhaps most importantly, Gordon is expected to quickly become the No. 1 receiver for a group with few proven weapons.

The fact that Gordon is already working with first-teamers in training camp points to illustrates the expectations the team has for him. GM Tom Heckert called Gordon an “eventual starter,” though the hope is that he will produce right away.

On the other side of the coin, many of those obstacles can turn into strengths that work in Gordon’s favor. Weeden and his stronger arm would appear to be an upgrade over Colt McCoy and defenses will have to prepare for Trent Richardson. There's no doubt there will be growing pains, but Gordon isn’t exactly walking into a hopeless situation.

However, no one should expect even 900 yards from him. WR Julio Jones, a player of comparable size and talent, caught 54 passes for 959 yards in his rookie season, and that was in a much more mature offense.

It’s obviously difficult to be a rookie at the NFL level, and sitting out an entire season beforehand doesn’t make the transition any easier. Like every other aspect of the Browns’ offense, Gordon will face a steep learning curve. He has the talent to succeed — just don’t expect it to happen right away.

Steve DiMatteo is a freelance writer based in Cleveland who currently serves as the editor/lead writer of Dawg Pound Daily. You can follow him on Twitter at steve_dimatteo.

Browns LB Chris Gocong suffered a leg injury during practice Saturday and was carted off the field. The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot reported the injury appeared to be a ruptured right Achilles.

Head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters Gocong is scheduled to undergo an MRI Saturday and that the team hopes it is not a serious injury, but Cabot reports the Browns fear he is likely to miss the entire season.

Gocong, a seventh-year veteran, has started every game for the Browns over the past two seasons. He recorded 70 tackles and a career-high 3½ sacks in 2011.

The Browns have been sold for more than $1 billion, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported.

Randy Lerner sold the club to Jimmy Haslam. The first phase of the sale is for more than $700 million, and the second phase will be more than $300 million.

Haslam, the president and CEO of Pilot Flying J, will have controlling interest in the franchise. He has been a minority investor with the Steelers.

Owners are expected to approve the purchase at their meeting in October. Reports also indicate that former Eagles president Joe Banner will be part of Haslam’s group.