Bills Trade QB Tyrod Taylor To The Cleveland Browns

Moments after acquiring Jarvis Landry from the Miami Dolphins, the Browns went out and made a trade with another AFC East team, getting quarterback Tyrod Taylor from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a third-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

For its part, Miami is rid of a player that clearly clashed with head coach Adam Gase over the past two seasons, most notably in the 2017 season-closing loss, when Landry lost his mind on the field late in a loss to Buffalo. While Taylor would return to mark 14 starts on the season and help get the Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, the franchise’s lack of faith in him meant his days in NY were numbered.

That’s a great haul for a player the Bills really didn’t want anyway, and now Buffalo is even more well-equipped with draft capital this year to move up from their 21st and 22nd overall picks in the first round and get a quarterback.

With Josh Gordon already in town offering the big-play vertical threat, Landry should be free to move the chains underneath and in the slot, giving the Browns the reliable target underneath that they haven’t had in recent years.

The AP reports that the Browns still plan to take a quarterback with either the No. 1 pick or the No. 4 selection, as they have both, but the immediate question as it relates to Penn State is this: Does it cement Saquon Barkley as the top pick?

It’s a unusual deal for Packers and new GM Brian Gutekunst.

Taylor, the Bills starter for the last three seasons, had one year left on his contract that carried a cap hit of approximately $18.1 million in 2018. Expect them to package some of them for Taylor’s replacement.

But he lands in Cleveland, where he’ll get a fresh start. Taylor, 28, would not be the long-term answer at quarterback but would be the “bridge quarterback” to mentor a rookie.

But unlike Kizer, who led the National Football League with 22 interceptions, went 0-15 and went through numerous growing pains as a rookie starter, Taylor will have offensive weapons around him. The top signal-callers in this year’s draft are Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen.

Free agency, which begins Wednesday, looks to be a clear option given that General Manager Brandon Beane vowed after last season that the Bills would have a veteran QB on the roster for 2018.