Less than a week ahead of the start of the free agency period, the Cleveland Browns have significantly picked up their level of activity on Friday to improve their roster. This has seen them commit to a few trades to acquire talent in exchange for a few of their plethora of draft picks.
Cleveland us in a prime position with plenty of salary cap to be a major factor as one of the busier teams in reshaping their roster ahead of the 2018 campaign. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Browns have agreed to a deal to acquire cornerback Damarious Randall from the Green Bay Packers.
And another trade for Browns: Packers have informed CB Damarious Randall that he is being traded to Cleveland (like everybody else), per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
It was shortly reported after by Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network that the Browns are sending second-year quarterback Deshone Kizer to the Packers, while it's still unclear if draft picks are involved in the move.
Randall spent his first three years in the league with the Packers after being selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He started 30 of 39 games over that span. Randall is in the final year of his four-year, $7.9 million rookie deal that will pay him just over $1 million in 2018.
The decision to move Kizer give Tyrod Taylor the clear path of being the bridge quarterback for the Browns next season. Taylor was acquired in a separate deal on Friday in exchange for a 2018 third-round pick. This now further clarifies that Cleveland could be using one of their top first-round picks to select a quarterback that can sit behind the seventh-year quarterback in 2018.
Meanwhile, the addition of Randall gives the Browns a proven defensive back that could help further stabilize their young secondary alongside cornerbacks Jason McCourty and Jamar Brown, as well as safeties Jabril Peppers and Derrick Kindred. The slew of moves that the Browns have committed to could just be the beginning of a busy offseason in both free agency and the upcoming draft.
The Browns also acquired Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry on Friday.
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