After three days of rumors, the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants did agree to a trade, but it didn't involve Odell Beckham Jr. Cleveland sent right guard Kevin Zeitler and the 155th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to New York in exchange for defensive end Olivier Vernon and the 132nd selection. Both teams filled large holes on their roster with the deal, so how exactly will the new additions help next season?
New York Giants
After passing on Sam Darnold in 2018, it's likely that the Giants draft their franchise quarterback in April. Whoever that QB is will have plenty of weapons to use, but the issue will be protection. New York's offensive line was abysmal last season, even after they spent big money on left tackle Nate Solder. Zeitler will help immensely, as he is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL. The Browns proved how important it is to protect your rookie QB in 2018 (as if teams weren't already aware of this), so the Giants should make doing the same their priority.
With the departure of Vernon, New York loses their best pass rusher. Second-year player Lorenzo Carter will likely replace Vernon in the starting lineup, but the Giants must upgrade their front-seven, and their entire defense in general. However, doing so needs to come after getting their QB of the future and making sure he is protected.
Salary-wise, New York did very well. Cleveland will pay Vernon over $30 million over the next two seasons, and while he can but cut at any time for no dead money, he is still a quality defender and if the Giants didn't find a trade partner, he would probably have not been cut.
New York will still incur an $8 million cap hit as a result of trading him, but it is well worth it for Zeitler. While Vernon is the seventh-highest-paid DE in the NFL, Zeitler is the third-highest-paid guard, at $1o million in 2019 and 2020 and $12 million in 2021. It makes more financial sense for the Giants to pay Zeitler his salary over three seasons instead of paying Vernon his over two.
Cleveland Browns
The trade is an obvious win for the Giants, but it's a big more interesting for the Browns. Zeitler and Joel Bitonio formed the best guard duo in the NFL, and their pass blocking along with that of center J.C. Tretter was instrumental to the success of Baker Mayfield.
Just like Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, if the QB isn't concerned about his interior lineman being driven back into his legs, he can step up into the pocket and keep his eyes downfield for just a split-second longer, which many times makes all the difference between a five-yard dump-off to the running back and a 20-yard completion for a first down.
Zeitler's replacement is second-year player Austin Corbett, the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Corbett played left tackle in college and was almost universally viewed as a guard in the NFL. The Browns gave him a shot at tackle but eventually moved him inside as expected, and he spent the year sitting behind Bitonio and Zeitler.
Corbett should be a pretty good guard; he had better be for his draft position and who the Browns traded to give him a shot. But it is unrealistic to expect him to be the best pass-blocker in the league. What the Browns are banking on is that the downgrade from Zeitler to Corbett is smaller than the upgrade from Emmanuel Ogbah to Vernon; but what is more important; keeping your QB safe or pressuring the other team's signal-caller? It's not like the Browns didn't have any other options to improve the pass rush.
This is not to say that Vernon won't make an impact; he should make a very large one, as long as he stays healthy. He is an excellent pass-rusher, and playing opposite of Myles Garrett will give Vernon more 1-on-1 opportunities. Vernon doesn't need to get a ton of sacks; pressures and QB hits are more important.
Ogbah is a fine run stopper but he doesn't offer much pass rush. Vernon instantly makes Cleveland's defense much better, and if the Browns can add a starting defensive tackle and linebacker through free agency and the draft, they will be on their way to having a top 10 defense.
This trade is a big risk for Cleveland, and not everyone may agree with it, but general manager John Dorsey has proven he is deserving of trust. If he is correct about Corbett, this will be looked back on as a true win-win trade. If Corbett is not as good as advertised, the Giants will have fleeced the Browns, something that hasn't happened very often as of late. For right now, both teams improved, and that's the whole point of any trade.
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