The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Taylor, Landry and Randall trades official
The Browns make official their trades for Tyrod Taylor, (right), Jarvis Landry and Damrious Randall. Plus, more free agent signings.
The league year officially began at 4 p.m. on March 14, so shortly after the magic hour struck, the Browns announced the three trades they made on March 9 and the one they made on March 10.
Recapping, the Browns traded a 2018 fourth-round pick (123) and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for wide receiver Jarvis Landry. They also traded a third-round pick (65) to Buffalo for quarterback Tyrod Taylor and sent quarterback DeShone Kizer plus a fourth-round pick (101) and a fifth-round pick (138) to Green Bay for Packers defensive back Damarious Randall plus the Packers’ fourth-round pick (114) and fifth-round pick (150).
“I think anytime you can have a chance to acquire three good football players right off the bat in the trades, you’ve got to do it,” general manager John Dorsey said in a statement. “I give a lot of credit to everyone in football operations because we sat there for two months. We made some plans and laid some plans in regard to free agency and how we were going to attack it.
“We identified certain players we thought would help this organization moving forward who had the qualities we were looking for with regard to do they love football. Are they leaders at their position? Are they guys that are going to be good in the locker room? I thought the three guys in the trades fit everything we were looking for.”
The Browns also traded defensive tackle Danny Shelton and a fifth-round pick in 2018 (159) to New England for a third-round pick in 2019.
Taylor was 22-20 as a starter with the Bills the last three years. The Browns’ 2017 quarterbacks — DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan — had a combined zero NFL victories to start the season. They ended the same way after the Browns went 0-16.
“We view Tyrod as a perfect fit to lead our team,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “He possesses the qualities we want of a starting quarterback. He’s smart, a leader, and an efficient passer that doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s a winner and has been very productive as a starting quarterback in this league.
“The expectation is for Tyrod to come in and be our quarterback, get himself acclimated to our offense and help us get to winning as quickly as possible.”
Taylor, a 2011 sixth-round draft pick by the Ravens, has 51 career touchdown passes, all with Buffalo. He threw one interception while with Baltimore and threw 17 picks with the Bills. Kizer, in 15 starts with the Browns last year, threw 22 interceptions.
Landry, 6-foot, 205 pounds, led the NFL with 112 catches and had nine touchdown receptions. He made the Pro Bowl each of the past three years. He averages 10.1 yards a catch and has 400 receptions in four years.
“Jarvis Landry is obviously one of the most productive wide receivers in the National Football League,” Jackson said. “It’s really exciting that we had the opportunity to put him on our team. He’s going to bring a fire and competitive energy to our team that will make us better. He’s a playmaker and a difference maker that we expect to make our offense go.”
The Browns continue to pursue Terrelle Pryor, who caught 77 passes for 1,007 yards under Jackson in 2016. Pryor, on a one-year contract with the Redskins, caught 22 passes in 2017.
Jarvis is a slot receiver. The Browns, last in the league in scoring in 2017, should be vastly improved with Taylor and Landry, plus Josh Gordon, who played the last five games of 2017 for the Browns after returning from suspension.
Also, the Browns have a deal in place for running back Carlos Hyde, but they are waiting to make that announcement until March 15 when the former Ohio State star passes his physical and signs his contract. Hyde played the last four seasons with the 49ers.
Randall is an important addition to the defense. The Browns made free safety and cornerback a priority in the offseason. Randall can play either position. The Browns project him as a free safety.
“Damarious is very versatile,” Dorsey said. “I’ve long admired him when he was playing safety back at Arizona State. He’s a firstround pick a couple of years ago, which shows you what his skill set is. He’s proven his versatility where he can play corner, he can play safety. I’m glad we got all three of those guys.”
The Browns were able to make the four trades and still hold onto picks Nos. 1, 4, 33, 35 and 64 in the draft next month. Despite acquiring Taylor, they are still expected to use the first overall pick on a quarterback.
“Anytime you have five picks in the top 64, that’s wonderful,” Dorsey said. “Any personnel guy will tell you that. The challenge will be to hit on all of these players and get really good players.
“I think you can really do a good job of building your team with these players. That’s not saying we can’t hit in the 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s. We’re going to do our due diligence. It’s the extra ammunition you have with five picks in the top 64, and understanding the draft with the way it’s going to work itself out, I think we will get players.”