Sammie Coates goes to the Browns for a pick, and the Browns get a receiver that they can put on the field with Deshone Kizer, who is young and needs experienced receivers. This is a good deal for both teams, and now we just have to see if they can both cash in. I imagine Coates could play with Kizer for years, and maybe the Steelers will get something out of that pick. The simple fact is that the Steelers did not need any more receivers, and the Browns needed anything to help make their offense better.
The Browns need help
The Browns need as much offensive help as they can get between now and the end of the season.
They need to make sure that they have everything on the field that will make DeShone Kizer better so that there is no doubt he has been given the best chance to win. He could go 3-13, but they will know exactly what they are working with. We forget that Peyton Manning stunk for two seasons. We forget that Troy Aikman was 1-15 his first season. It takes time, but you need to have weapons that you can use.
How good is Pittsburgh?
Good enough to trade away a good receiver for a late round draft pick. They are so good offensively now that LeVeon Bell is back that they will likely be fighting the Raiders for number two in the AFC. That will make the whole conference more interesting because the Steelers then have to beat a much younger team in the Raiders.
They oppose each other quite well because they both had to make defensive upgrades, have good offenses, and have good quarterbacks.
Can Coates help?
If he is willing to be the helper in Cleveland, I think he can make a real difference with that team. I can see him gelling with Kizer over the course of the year until we are wondering how good they can actually be.
It makes much more sense for these two teams to make this trade because the Browns are not in danger of catching the Steelers, and the Steelers need to have pieces so they can win now before Big Ben has to retire. They are reaching in an era where they have to compete with the Patriots still, but this is a good reach.
How long until Cleveland competes?
Next season I think. If you look at the Browns as a project, they will start to be good by the end of this season. They could still lose games, but they would be a decent team. They would go into the next season ready to make bigger changes so they can be competitive, and they may be a fringe wild card team. Move ahead another year, and they are in an era where everyone who is good is much older than them. They become the young upstarts they want to be.
