The Cleveland Browns have acquired pass rusher Olivier Vernon in a trade with the New York Giants, as first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
In exchange for Vernon, the Browns will be sending offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler to the Giants, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Vernon is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he was limited to 11 games due to an ankle injury, but when he was on the field, he registered 30 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery en route to a rather odd Pro Bowl appearance.
The 28-year-old initially joined the Giants in March 2016 after signing a five-year, $85 million contract.
He was very impressive during his first season in New York, finishing with 64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in helping lead one of the top defenses in the league.
Then, in 2017, Vernon took a bit of a step back, as he missed four games as a result of an ankle issue and ended up totaling 37 stops, 6.5 sacks, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles.
Vernon, who played his collegiate football at the University of Miami, was originally selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (72nd pick overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Dolphins, with his best season coming in 2013 when he racked up 57 tackles and 11.5 sacks.
As for Zeitler, the 29-year-old started all 16 games at right guard for the Browns this past season and has split his seven-year NFL tenure between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland.
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