CLEVELAND, OH — This Browns offseason has been dominated by talk of what player and position Cleveland will look to address with the No. 1 pick. That changed on Friday.
According to multiple outlets, the Browns have traded a singular draft pick from both 2018 and 2019 to the Miami Dolphins to acquire speedy slot receiver, Jarvis Landry. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network had was the first to report the blockbuster trade. While agreed to by both sides, the deal cannot be made official until 4 pm on March 14, when the new league year begins.
Cleveland has yet to confirm the trade, but the team’s twitter account did react to the news…
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— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 9, 2018
The Browns have been linked to Landry since before the trade deadline this past season, but nothing came to fruition back then. It’s no surprise that their interest in the three-time Pro Bowler resurfaced when he became available this offseason.
While it may seem unwise to trade draft capital for a player who a was tagged for the sole purpose of being traded, only to then have to lock him with a massive long-term deal, it’s not as if Cleveland doesn’t have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to both picks and money. The Browns are projected to have $110 million in cap space – a league high – when free agency opens on Wednesday. They also have 12 draft picks in 2018.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, neither of the picks that Cleveland is sending to South Beach are in the first or second round of their respective year’s draft, making the swap extremely favorable for Cleveland. Schefter also shared that the Browns are already working on an extension for their newest wideout.
Landry has been a staple in Miami’s offense since he was selected 63rd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. In each of this four seasons with the Dolphins he caught more than 80 passes and racked up 4,038 yards and 22 TDs. Twice, in 2015 and this past season, he caught more than 100 balls, something the Browns have never seen done by a receiver in team history. In 2017, Landry was the NFL’s receptions leader with a career-high 112 receptions. He also scored a career-best nine touchdowns.
The addition of Landry is a welcomed one for a Browns offense that ranked in the bottom third of the league in passing yards and 28th in passing touchdowns a season ago. The return of Josh Gordon after his latest hiatus from footballe due to substance abuse issues was a welcomed one that produced flashes of progress. But Cleveland’s lack of weapons overall were a major contributor in the now infamous 0-16 season.
Now, with a receiving corps of Gordon, Landry and Corey Coleman, plus versatile running back Duke Johnson out of the backfield and 2017 first-round pick, tight end Davis Njoku, the Browns offense has no shortage of weapons. This offensive makeover is hardly complete, either.
It’s no secret Cleveland is still desperately searching for their quarterback of the future, which they could find with the first overall pick come April. Regardless, whoever ends up under center for the Browns in 2018 will have quite a supporting cast.
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