The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BECKHAM DEAL CREATING BUZZ FOR BROWNS
QB Foles agrees to deal with Jags; Chiefs release safety Berry.
The Cleveland Browns returned as an expansion team in 1999. They became a real one Tuesday night.
It only took 20 mostly tortuous years — and one tremendous trade.
With a shocking, blockbuster deal for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns flipped the NFL on its helmet and instantaneously changed their national perception. They’re the talk of the league, and for the first time in forever, it’s for the right reasons.
No longer a punching bag, the Browns are punching back. From hopeless to hopefilled. Finally.
Shortly after the league’s free-agent signing period and its new calendar year opened Wednesday, the Browns made their acquisition of Beckham from the New York Giants official. It’s a done deal, and it’s starting to sink in for Cleveland’s impassioned and pained fan base, which has been waiting decades for its beloved team to return to glory.
The Browns acquired Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon in exchange for guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 firstround pick (No. 17 overall) and a third-rounder (No. 95).
Beckham makes Cleveland cooler, the Browns a must-watch on TV, and in the words of quarterback Baker Mayfield, “dangerous.”
In landing Beckham, one of the game’s most electrifying players, Cleveland has risen from unimaginable depths in just a year. The Browns were coming off a historic 0-16 season last March and still searching for an elusive franchise quarterback.
They were the league’s laughingstocks. General manager John Dorsey has turned the tables. He began strategically plotting a run at Beckham in December, and seemingly came out of nowhere to deliver a blindside blow.
“He’s probably if not the one, one or two best receivers in the National Football League,” Dorsey said. “Very rarely do you get a chance to acquire a player of this magnitude. He’s at a relatively young age. He’s got a lot of football left in him.”
Jaguars: After repeatedly failing to find a franchise quarterback in the NFL draft, Jacksonville turned to free agency. Maybe the new path will yield better results.
Given the lack of sustained success between predecessors Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles, the bar is set pretty low for Nick Foles — even with a lucrative contract and a Super Bowl MVP trophy.
The Jaguars officially agreed to terms with Foles on Wednesday and released Bortles four hours later, parting ways with the third overall pick in the 2014 draft just 13 months after handing him a three-year, $58 million contract.
Chiefs: Released safety Eric Berry, the Atlanta native and Creekside High graduate who missed nearly all of last season with a mysterious heel injury that cropped up early in training camp. The five-time Pro Bowler would have been guaranteed $7.25 million of his salary if he was on the roster Friday.
Berry was a first-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2010 draft and was a legitimate star when he was healthy, though that became increasingly uncommon. He missed most of one season with a torn knee ligament and most of another with a torn Achilles’ tendon. He also missed part of a season while he was undergoing treatment for cancer, which not only further endeared him to the Kansas City fan base but also to the NFL community at large.
The Chiefs have already moved on from several highpriced veterans, cutting Justin Houston and trading fellow linebacker Dee Ford to San Francisco. They also have agreed to a three-year contract with former Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Ravens: Baltimore finally made its move during the NFL’s free-agent frenzy, signing former Seahawks AllPro safety Earl Thomas and ex-Saints running back Mark Ingram.
The 29-year-old Ingram scored 50 touchdowns with the Saints and upgrades a Baltimore backfield that last year ended up counting heavily on rookie Gus Edwards.
Thomas is expected to replace free safety Eric Weddle, who was released last week and signed with the Rams.
Baltimore lost linebackers C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’darius Smith to free agency, a blow to the NFL’s No. 1 defense in 2018.
Raiders: Agreed to a deal with free-agent receiver Tyrell Williams, the former deep threat for the Los Angeles Chargers. Williams is the second big-time addition at receiver already this offseason for Oakland. The team previously acquired Antonio Brown in a trade with Pittsburgh and gave him a new three-year contract.
Buccaneers: Linebacker Deone Bucannon and receiver Breshad Perriman have agreed to join the Tampa Bay on one-year deals. Bucannon spent the first five years of his career with Arizona and reunites with former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians and one-time Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.