Grading the Odell Beckham Jr. trade for Cleveland Browns, New York Giants
The Cleveland Browns have pulled off a blockbuster trade for Odell Beckham Jr. with the New York Giants. But is it a good deal for either team?
On the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period of free agency, one rumor that got somewhat overshadowed came from ESPN’s Josina Anderson on NFL Live. Per Field Yates, she said that talks regarding then-New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. being traded were still ongoing on Tuesday, and that a mystery AFC North team was involved. We have our answer as to who that mystery team is: the Cleveland Browns.
Browns general manager swooped out of the sky on Tuesday night to pull off a blockbuster trade for Odell Beckham Jr. As first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Cleveland has traded for Beckham. Garafolo’s colleague, Ian Rapoport, followed up on that with the rest of the terms. For the wideout, the Browns will send their 2019 first-round pick, their second third-round pick this year and safety Jabrill Peppers (a 2017 first-round pick) to the Giants.
All said and done, here’s what the trade looks like for both teams:
Go after a star player, you have to pay a star player price, and the Browns are certainly doing that. However, after taking a massive step forward in 2018, improving from a winless season to go 7-8-1 on the year and appearing to find their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, it’s clear that Cleveland general manager John Dorsey is swinging for the fences right away.
Having said that, the Giants aren’t walking away with nothing for their star wide receiver. Two top-100 picks to go along with the No. 6 pick they already own in the 2019 NFL Draft can help them start to rebuild for the future, this after taking Saquon Barkley second-overall last year. Plus, Peppers can be a nice piece in the secondary to help the team start their rebuild as well, especially with Landon Collins leaving in free agency.
Thus, with all of these moving pieces, let’s hand out a grade to both the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants in this trade, starting with the team receiving Odell Beckham Jr.