The Browns must be sick and tired of being the laughing stock of the NFL, as they have made some Big Moves to bolster their roster for the upcoming season. The Browns have acquired their possible QB of the future along with a star wide receiver to complement their other talented receiver in Josh Gordon. The Browns have some cap space to work with when the new NFL year arrives, so are we ready to say the Browns can be a playoff contender?
New additions
Cleveland made some franchise-changing moves this past weekend starting with the trade they made with the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins traded their star WR Jarvis Landry to the Browns for a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 123) and a 2019 seventh-round pick. Landry is a three-time pro-bowler and was a great slot receiver during his time in Miami. He is a reception magnet, but his lack of deep ball catches is what has experts wondering if he can turn into a true number one receiver.
The Browns also traded a third-rounder in this year's draft to the Bills for their QB, Tyrod Taylor. (ESPN). Taylor led his Bills team last year to the playoffs but suffered a concussion late in the game they eventually lost. Taylor is a conservative QB, as he doesn't make many mistakes, but he doesn't take the risk needed to give his team a chance to win.
Taylor's situation is a weird one, but his new situation in Cleveland is what he might need to take the next step in his QB progression.
The Browns also added former Packers CB Demarious Randall along with fourth and fifth-round picks from Green Bay, and they also traded DT Danny Shelton and a 2018 fifth-round pick to the Patriots for a third-round draft pick.
(ESPN). The Browns made some big moves, and they still have the draft and cap room.
Brighter days ahead
The Browns have about $77 million in cap room for free agency, the second-highest number behind the New York Jets. The Browns could use this cap space to focus on the defensive side of the ball where they could use some help.
Hopefully the Browns will use their money on worthy players, as they have a history of wasting money on players.
These trades can help the Browns when it comes to the draft as well. With a new QB in Taylor, the Browns could now use their top pick on Saquon Barkley. Barkley is arguably the best player in the draft after his monster season at Penn State. He stood out at the Combine and said publicly that it would be great to play for the Browns. They have two top ten picks so even if they wanted to get Barkley first, they can still get the QB they want as well. The dark cloud seems to be leaving Cleveland, and now, Browns fans have the chance to possibly cheer their team on toward a possible playoff berth.
