Frank Geib ’15
It has been one crazy week for Cleveland sports. The craziest thing yet is the move the Browns made on Wednesday, trading Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for their first round pick next season. Richardson was the 3rd overall player taken in the 2012 NFL Draft. It is likely that the Colts will make the playoffs again with blossoming star QB Andrew Luck. This means the Browns will be receiving a pick in the mid 20’s. The Browns, who had better than normal expectations for their season, have started out 0-2. Every fan has displayed how dumb they think this recent trade was. However, I am going to shed some light on the move and show why this move may not be as bad as many believe. Yes, this will not be the season for the Browns but even with TRich running the ball we were winless. The Browns are stacking up for next years draft as they have two picks in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th rounds and have their normal pick in every other round. The incoming class of quarterbacks looks bright and reminds me of two years ago where Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Ryan Tannehill all went in the top 10. The incoming class features a variety of quarterbacks and the Browns will be sure to get one of them as Brandon Weeden has not panned out and is already nearing 30. Beyond the draft, the NFL is a passing league, and the Browns showed this by throwing 86 times in the first two weeks. Richardson was not getting the carries he needed and getting first round value for him salvaged the bust that he could have become in the Browns system. Richardson has also been affected by the injury bug in his early career. He was beat-up his rookie year and missed this preseason. It may have been very smart to get rid of him before a major setback occurs. The short term replacement at running back is veteran Willis McGahee who the Brown’s picked up a couple days after the trade. More recent talks indicate that the Browns are interested in Ben Tate, the Houston Texans backup. His contract is up after the year. He has starter potential but as been behind Pro Bowler Arian Foster. This trade, though upsetting to many, may turn out to help the Browns. It has given the new Front Office their own identity and all the trade talk has shown that they understand that the team must get better. Only time will tell if this trade is a success but lets keep in mind that only time will tell if it is a failure.