Boom or Bust? Grading the Cleveland Browns Boldest Trades Since 2018

Many adjectives can, and often are, used to describe the ever-polarizing Cleveland Browns. Afraid is not one of them. Following their winless 2017 campaign, the Browns have utilized the trade market as a roster-building tool as much as any team league-wide, with extremely mixed results. From quality additions acquired at exceptional value to franchise-altering failures, the Browns have made a range of bold trades since 2018. Six of these deals stand out as the most significant during this era of aggressive moves.

March 2018: Browns Trade a 2018 Fourth-Round Pick and a 2019 Seventh-Round Pick to the Dolphins for Jarvis Landry.

While high-profile failures mar John Dorsey’s brief legacy as Cleveland’s general manager, these blunders unfortunately shield several strokes of brilliance that left the franchise in a much better place than he found it in. Acquiring Jarvis Landry is perhaps the best such example. The electrifying wideout dubbed “Juice” for his relentless motor received Pro Bowl nods in each of his first two seasons in Cleveland while recording a career high 1,176 receiving yards in 2019. Despite his on-field success, Landry’s impact was arguably stronger off of it. Teammates and coaches alike frequently praised his leadership ability, aptly displayed during a 2018 episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, capturing an impassioned speech about the importance of reviving the culture surrounding Cleveland football. Landry arrived in 2018 to a team that was winless the season before and won a playoff game as the heartbeat of that same franchise just three seasons later. Not bad for a guy acquired for two day three draft picks.

Grade: A

March 2019: Browns Trade OG Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for DE Olivier Vernon

Upon joining the team as a big-ticket free agent signing in 2017, Kevin Zeitler was an anchor on Cleveland’s offensive line, never missing a start during his two years in Northeast Ohio while looking the part of a top offensive guard in the league. However, the Browns drafted his presumptive replacement, Austin Corbett, in the 2018 draft and were desperately searching for a formidable sidekick opposite of Myles Garrett, prompting this move. While Corbett never caught on in Cleveland, the eventual emergence of Wyatt Teller prevented this trade from being an altogether disaster. As for Olivier Vernon, he steadily produced in Cleveland, recording 12.5 sacks in two seasons before an Achilles tear effectively ended his career. That said, Zeitler has gone on to unquestionably separate himself as the better player, continuing to produce at a high level heading into 2025. With those facts in mind, the Browns pretty clearly lost this trade, though the ramifications of doing so did not prove significant.

Grade: C

March 2019: The Browns Trade S Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 First-Round Pick, and a 2019 Third-Round Pick to the Giants for WR Odell Beckham Jr.

At the time of this trade, there was perhaps no receiver league-wide with enough fanfare to hold a candle to Odell Beckham. By acquiring the young star, many analysts league-wide catapulted the Browns onto their list of Super Bowl contenders, lofty expectations that never came to fruition. Beckham caught 1,000 yards just once in a Browns uniform, and the team’s only stretch of success with him on the roster came while he was sidelined with an ACL tear in 2020. For all of the excitement that surrounded the acquisition, a worse outcome is difficult to envision, particularly considering the messy nature of the two sides’ eventual divorce.

Grade: D-

March 2022: The Browns Trade a 2022 Fifth-Round Pick and Two 2022 Sixth-Round Picks to the Cowboys for WR Amari Cooper.

Just two days after parting ways with Jarvis Landry, Andrew Berry filled his void with another veteran wideout acquired at a bargain price. Already an established Pro Bowler upon arriving in Cleveland, Amari Cooper’s first two seasons were among the best of his career, and his career-high 1,250 yards in 2023 played an instrumental role in the team’s improbable playoff berth. Although his stint in Cleveland was brief, Cooper became the only wide receiver in team history to record back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards receiving and set a franchise record for receiving yards in a game with 265. Similar to Landry, Cooper accomplished all of this despite being acquired for just a handful of day three draft picks. The only factor preventing this trade from earning an “A+” is longevity, as Cooper lasted south of three seasons with the Browns.

Grade: A

March 2022: The Browns Trade a 2022 First-Round Pick, a 2023 First-Round Pick, a 2024 First-Round Pick, a 2023 Third-Round Pick, a 2024 Fourth-Round Pick, and a 2022 Fourth-Round Pick to the Texans for QB Deshaun Watson and a 2024 Sixth-Round Pick.

While the Amari Cooper trade may go down as Andrew Berry’s best move as Cleveland’s general manager, unfortunately, history is far more likely to remember this atrocity, executed just two days later. The move is already being heralded as perhaps the worst trade in NFL history, and for good cause. Deshaun Watson was acquired in exchange for a nearly unprecedented haul of draft capital and has been nothing short of terrible since arriving in Cleveland. As a Brown, Watson has recorded a 19-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has a modest 9-10 record in games started. Similar to Beckham, the Browns’ only stretch of success with Watson rostered came while he was sidelined with injury in 2023. Between a never-ending slew of injuries and an outright inability to produce at the level he showcased in Houston, a growing amount of evidence suggests that this trade is among the worst NFL transactions ever executed.

Grade: F

March 2024: The Browns Trade a 2024 Fifth-Round Pick and a 2024 Sixth-Round Pick to the Broncos for WR Jerry Jeudy.

When one wide receiver acquired for a bargain begins to age, Andrew Berry has demonstrated that he will simply find another. Exhibit A: Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy picked up right where Amari Cooper left off, recording a franchise record 90 receptions in 2024 to go along with 1,229 receiving yards, shattering his previous career mark and earning Jeudy his first Pro Bowl nod. His breakout season demonstrated why, after years of trade speculation linking the two parties, Cleveland long coveted bringing in the former Alabama star. Still just 26 years of age, Jerry Jeudy looks to be well-positioned to serve as wide receiver one for the Browns for many, many more years to come. Considering that, just like Cooper and Landry, mere day three picks were all it took to acquire Jeudy, this move looks the part of a bona fide steal.

Grade: A