Browns make flurry (or blizzard) of trades
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March 12, 2018The Cleveland Browns continued the blizzard of trades on Saturday by dealing defensive lineman Danny Shelton to the New England Patriots. The Browns have reportedly traded Shelton and a 2018 fifth round pick to New England for a 2019 third round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Field Yates. This move is the fourth trade by new Browns general manager John Dorsey over the course of 24 hours.
Shelton was the Browns first round pick in 2015. Last season, the defensive tackle notched 34 tackles in 16 games, contributing to the Browns improved run defense last year. The move might be the most surprising of all the trades over the past couple days. Shelton was a productive player for the Browns, showing solid production in being a run-stuffing defensive lineman.
Updated via @FieldYates and me: Browns trade Danny Shelton and a 5th round pick in '18 for the Patriots’ 3rd l-round pick in '19. And there it is, the fourth Browns’ trade in less than 24 hours. https://t.co/MQ6Qc8Dmha
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2018
But in the case of the Browns, there are several reasons they made the move to get rid of Shelton. The first and biggest reason was Larry Ogunjobi. Cleveland likely believes Ogunjobi is a better player and wants to get him on the field as much as possible. Gregg Williams’ defense want disruptive penetrating defensive lineman and Ogunjobi is that kind of player. Shelton was not. The second reason for the move was that Shelton’s fifth-year option deadline was coming up. If the Browns were not going to pick up the option, then they might as well get something for him now.
This trade on Saturday does not seem to be the end of the flurry for Dorsey and company. After acquiring wide receiver Jarvis Landry, quarterback Tyrod Taylor and defensive back Damarious Randall yesterday, the new front office clearly believes that the roster needs a big overhaul. I can see a few more of the current players being shipped off in the next few days. Expect many more moves before the start of free agency next week.