Browns Acquire QB Tyrod Taylor In Trade With Bills
(97.1 The Ticket) - The Cleveland Browns are continuing to make offseason moves to try and rebound from an 0-16 season in 2017.
Hours after acquiring WR Jarvis Landry from the Dolphins, the Browns have traded a third-round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The #Browns are sending pick No. 65 to the #Bills for QB Tyrod Taylor, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2018
The move appears to be setting the Browns up for a bit of a transition period before they fully commit to a new quarterback they are expected to use the No. 1 pick on this spring. The team was expected to target a quarterback in free agency before deciding on Taylor, but they are still planning on drafting a quarterback this spring, according to the Associated Press.
So now Bengals free-agent QB A.J. McCarron can go to Arizona, Buffalo or Denver....Browns have their bridge QB for the QB they draft in round one.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
Taylor threw for 2,799 yards and 14 touchdowns, while he rushed for 427 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. The Bills went 32-32 with Taylor as their starting quarterback over the last three seasons, including a first-round playoff loss to the Jaguars in Buffalo's first postseason appearance since 1999.
And another trade for Browns: Packers have informed CB Damarious Randall that he is being traded to Cleveland (like everybody else), per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
Green Bay receives quarterback DeShone Kizer in that trade, according to Schefter.
The Browns' string of trades on Friday sets them up to have a potential bounce-back season, improving the offense and their secondary, while still holding two top-five draft picks and free agency looming.
Browns' additions today:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
QB Tyrod Taylor
WR Jarvis Landry
CB Damarious Randall.
With free agency and picks No. 1 and No. 4 still to come.