The New York Giants traded away one of the league's top receivers on Tuesday as they sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for a couple of draft picks and safety Jabrill Peppers. The draft picks are great for the Giants as they received a 2019 first round pick (17th overall) and a 3rd round pick, but so was having a game-changing player like Beckham Jr.
In a head-scratching move for the Giants, the Browns more or less stole Beckham right from New York's grasp after general manager David Gettleman insisted time and time again the team had no intentions of trading him. The deal awarded the Browns as the unanimous winners as they realistically gave up nothing drastic, but on the contrary, received a player that could very well change the face of the franchise.
It's fair to assume the Giants are now in a full-fledged rebuild after trading away numerous key players on defense and now arguably their best player on offense. The trade leaves running back Saquon Barkley with a lot more responsibility as well as opens up a lot of targets in the passing game for Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard. The Giants cannot make up for the loss of Beckham no matter who they draft or sign prior to the 2019 NFL season and the team will suffer for years to come with the loss of so many key players.
The end of Eli Manning's career is likely approaching which set the Giants up to draft a prospect in this year's draft to eventually replace the Super Bowl-winning quarterback. The selection and development of a draft prospect such as Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins would have likely set the Giants up in a similar situation the Browns are in now. A young quarterback with elite offensive talent surrounding him sideline to sideline would have presumably reignited the Giants' hopes at contending as early as the 2020 season. The team has now gone in a direction that likely nobody but Gettleman understands, and disgruntled Giants fans worldwide are now suffering from the uncertainty going forward.
Beckham's rookie season was one for the ages after making one of the greatest catches ever to happen in the league in a Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys. Beckham also led the league in yards per game in 2014 with 108.8, and after only playing 12 games in his rookie season he accumulated 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Browns now have themselves one of the most potentially high-powered offenses in the league after completing the trade. Quarterback Baker Mayfield leads an offense consisting of running back Nick Chubb, tight end David Njoku and the fearsome receiver duo of Jarvis Landry and Beckham. The Browns offense is going to be downright scary for the foreseeable future considering each of these players is 26 years old or younger.
Browns general manager John Dorsey has reportedly stated he is not done after the Beckham trade which leaves the league on a standstill awaiting his next move. Considering his fantastic track record the Browns could get even better ahead of the 2019 season and add to their now borderline elite roster. Since being given the job, Dorsey has drafted Mayfield, cornerback Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway, traded for Jarvis Landry, traded for Olivier Vernon, signed Sheldon Richardson and now one of the league's top receivers in Odell Beckham Jr.
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