Cleveland Browns: John Dorsey’s 5 best player additions

2. Trading DeShone Kizer for Damarious Randall

What was largely two teams exchanging players that they no longer wanted, the Browns have, for the moment, come out smelling like a rose. Hue Jackson pushed for DeShone Kizer, rushed him, set ridiculous expectations for Kizer and himself, then abandoned him in the course of one season.

The Browns opted to move him for a player the Packers hadn’t liked all that much at corner and the front office that picked him was largely gone or in Cleveland. Last but certainly not least, the Packers didn’t want to pay him a substantial fifth-year option.

The Browns had people familiar with Randall and needed free safety help, so they went ahead and got a player they believed could return to his college position and help the team and could easily afford to pick up his option. The result has been dramatic for the Browns.

Randall has changed the entire defense by being able to play a true free safety, allowing the rest of the secondary to play more aggressively. He has made plays, but it’s never really been about his direct impact on offenses, but just setting everyone else free and being reliable to protect over the top.

Jabrill Peppers, the previous season, was put in a terrible spot trying to play a brand new position for him. In addition to his own newness to the position, the Browns routinely dropped their corners off to try to prevent being beaten over the top. Peppers got more comfortable and improved as the season progressed, which is beneficial for his overall development, but it was always obvious he was going to go to his more natural position of strong safety.

Randall coming in to play his natural position allowed Peppers to play his and the play of both has been a big improvement.

Beyond simply being a solid player for the Browns, Randall has displayed toughness, playing through pain all season. He finally missed a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he was playing through a heel injury early in the year and currently he’s dealing with a groin that sounds like it won’t heal until he’s able to rest in the offseason.

If, for some reason, Randall’s play drops off next season, the trade would still be a remarkable success and anything else they get from it is gravy. He’s still young and could potentially contribute to this defense for next year and another contract. This trade appears to be a situation where the Browns got something pretty important for basically nothing.