The Browns aren’t stopping with the top spot on their depth chart at the sport’s most important position.
They’re overhauling the entire quarterback room.
On Saturday, the Browns agreed to trade veteran backup quarterback Case Keenum to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick, a person familiar with the deal said, confirming an NFL Network report.
The Browns also agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Jacoby Brissett and will make him their new backup quarterback, a league source said, confirming an ESPN report.
The moves come on the heels of the Browns agreeing to a blockbuster trade Friday for controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson will replace Baker Mayfield as the Browns’ starting quarterback. The Browns are expected to trade Mayfield soon, with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers among the potential logical landing spots.
A No. 2 quarterback is always considered an important roster spot for an NFL team, but it carries even more weight for the Browns now because Watson will likely be suspended by the league for part of next season.
Watson, 26, has been accused of sexual misconduct or sexual assault by two dozen women during massage appointments. On March 11, a grand jury decided Watson wouldn’t be criminally charged, but he still faces 22 civil lawsuits.
Despite Watson’s off-field baggage, the Browns paid historic prices for the three-time Pro Bowl selection both in terms of trade compensation and a new contract.
The Browns agreed to send three first-round picks (one in each of the next three drafts), a 2023 third-round selection and a 2024 fourth-round choice to the Texans for Watson and a 2024 fifth-round pick. The Texans announced the terms Friday night.
The last time an NFL team surrendered three first-round picks to acquire a player was in 1989, when the Minnesota Vikings traded with the Dallas Cowboys for running back Herschel Walker, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
