"The Stack" 3-9-18
The Cleveland Browns were the talk of the NFL Friday after making not one, not two, but three trades on Friday.
The Stack was planning on taking one day off before the Madness really starts. And then the Cleveland Browns turned Friday into frenzy with more trades than the stock market or at a fur trading convention back in the 1850s. Bad analogies? Out of date on the fur trading? Too bad. Quick reaction to the trades of the day in the NFL in "the stack" for today, Friday, March 9th:
NFL trades
So there was a minor trade before the Cleveland Browns stole the show. The Philadelphia Eagles made their second trade of the week by sending wide receiver Torrey Smith to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Daryl Worley. This is definitely a move to clear cap space for the Eagles. This move helps the Panthers by giving Cam Newton another target and offensive weapon.
On to the big trades though that mattered. It started at what 4 PM ET (3 PM CT) when the Cleveland Browns traded reportedly a 2018 4th round draft pick and a 2019 7th round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Landry had signed the franchise tag with the Dolphins earlier this week, but everyone knew there was a good chance Landry would be traded. The Chicago Bears reportedly over the week were talking about a trade that would have sent running back Jordan Howard to the Dolphins in exchange for Landry and a swapping of draft picks. How much validity did the report have? We may never know. With Landry though, the Browns now have a pretty good one-two combo at the wide receiver position assuming that they will keep Josh Gordon around. Landry and the Browns will get a new deal done it sounds like which makes sense. The Browns wouldn't give up draft picks for a guy if they didn't think they would be able to sign Landry to a long-term deal. One will get done.
But who will throw to Landry? DeShone Kizer? No. More on him in a second. The Browns decided to trade for Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a third round draft pick (the 65th pick overall). The trade now gives the Bills two picks in each of the first three rounds. They had said after their season ended that they expected Taylor to be back. Evidently not. With Tyrod's dynamic playmaking ability combined with Landry's speed at wide receiver, this could be a great combinatino for the Browns. It also now puts Penn State running back Saquon Barkley very much in play for the number one overall pick.
What about Kizer though? Well the Browns had a plan and soon after the trade for Taylor. They sent Kizer to the Green Bay Packers for cornerback Damarious Randall. The teams will also swap fourth and fifth round draft picks. Kizer never really seemed like he got the support from Hue Jackson and the Browns organization. Then again, the Browns maybe never should have had Kizer if they had been smart and draft Deshaun Watson in last year's draft or Carson Wentz the year before.
So in a matter of a few hours, the Browns picked up wide receiver Jarvis Landry, quarterback Tyrod Taylor and cornerback Damarious Randall for three draft picks that included no first or second round picks, a quarterback who will be a backup with his new team and the swapping of a couple of draft picks. Solid moves by the Browns and a big time win for the team. No Friday news dump for the Browns.
Before we go...
Before I go, it is apparently time for cornerback Richard Sherman to go from Seattle...maybe. The Seahawks have released Sherman, but the Seahawks have expressed interest in bringing him back. They just couldn't keep him at that salary. Sherman says he wants to play for a contender. Does Seattle count as a contender? Arguably not. We'll see if he returns to them or not.
Oh and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is sticking around for a while after signing a five-year $82.5 million deal. He is a good wide receiver. It gives Jameis Winston a weapon for years to come.
Coming up Saturday: Championship game picks plus Ivy League tournament preview
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