The Browns and Patriots have swung a trade that will allow both clubs to reinforce position groups that feature injury concerns. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Cleveland is acquiring running back Pierre Strong and is sending offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to New England.
Strong was selected by the Pats in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he earned just 10 carries in his rookie season. Thanks largely to a 44-yard scamper in a Week 13 victory over the Cardinals, Strong turned those carries into 100 rushing yards, and he added seven catches for 42 yards.
However, as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal notes, Strong has generally failed to impress the Patriots’ coaching staff, which was evidenced by the fact that the club was actively seeking a veteran complement to RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson this summer. Of course, New England ultimately signed longtime Cowboys standout Ezekiel Elliott, which made Strong expendable.
The Browns, meanwhile, allowed Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson to depart in free agency, as they were comfortable with their own second-year back, Jerome Ford, serving as the primary backup to four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb. Unfortunately, Ford is dealing with a hamstring ailment that has jeopardized his Week 1 availability, and even if Ford were healthy, Cleveland could stand to supplement an RB room that includes unproven or uninspiring options like Demetric Felton, Jordan Wilkins, and Hassan Hall. As Tony Grossi of TheLandOnDemand.com posits, Wilkins’ two fumbles in the Browns’ preseason loss to the Chiefs yesterday likely cost him his roster spot.
What Cleveland lacked in RB depth, it made up for in OT talent. With Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, James Hudson III, and fourth-round rookie Dawand Jones in the fold, Wheatley — who spent most of the 2022 campaign on the Browns’ taxi squad — was unlikely to have a place on the 53-man roster. He did, however, play well in an extended look during this year’s preseason slate, and though he has yet to see any regular season work in the NFL, he is an ascending player that can serve as needed depth in Foxborough.
As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, presumptive right tackle Riley Reiff left New England’s preseason loss to the Titans on Friday with a right leg injury that could linger into the regular season, and swing tackle Calvin Anderson is presently on the NFI list. Anderson is reportedly close to a return to the active roster, though there is still plenty of room for a tackle with Wheatley’s upside.
Browns needed to add someone. Strong should be a good addition to an untested running back room (besides Nick Chubb obviously).
I got letting Hunt walk. I could not understand for the life of me why they seemingly let Johnson leave without even trying to keep him.
I am with you there. Everyone knew Hunt was not coming back, the writing was on the wall all of 2022, so why did they not think Johnson was worth keeping around? Unfortunately we will never know the inner workings of Cleveland and why they do a great many of the things they do.
Nfl is weird bro
What’s odd is that the re-signed Johnson the year before to a single year deal based on his good work in the starters’ absence. It seemed like they were setting the stage for him to snag a bigger deal next year, after they had let Hunt go. It was as if they needed just one more year with Hunt before signing Johnson to a multi-year pact to take over. Now, both are gone.
There’s a decent chance Johnson doesn’t make the Jaguars. He’s the 4th back
This was of those trades that’s one man’s trash is another man’s treasure for both teams but as a pats fans this is pathetic that they make a trade for a nobody on the o-line when they’ve had/have plenty of cap space and trade assets to do better I really can’t what till either BB is gone or when Kraft gets a pair and tells BB you’re no longer the sole decision maker on this roster but it’s never going to happen until he finds a new run-n-tug place
You’re right Bill sucks and needs to go. All his Super Bowl rings prove your point. Loser.
All Bradys superbowl rings*
Bill hasnt wont squat since Brady left. Brady won a superbowl without Bill.
Bill has sucked since Brady left. And if Pats fans want to cling on to dvds and vhs tapes of old championships thats fine. Sad. But you do you. Tells us Pats dont have much going on these days when youre looking towards the past.
Brady went to a stacked team built specifically for him to win. Belichick is rebuilding a team that lost a legendary quarterback and several franchise players on both offense and defense. Giving Brady, who won several of those Superbowls on the sidelines with the luxury of top flight defenses, all of the credit (as you just did) is disingenuous and simplistic. There is absolutely no reality where Belichick did not heavily contribute to Brady’s success, and vice versa.
Besides, it’s not that the Pats have been awful. They’ve been average to above average. Even with the idiotic decision last year to torpedo the offense with the Patricia experiment, the Pats still finished only a game under .500 and 3rd in the division. They made the playoffs the year before, with a rookie quarterback. By their standards, it’s bad. By any other, it’s not good but not as bad as people make it sound. People talk about New England like they’ve 0-17 every year since Brady left. It hasn’t been great, but certainly not as bad as people make it sound.
And that rebuild includes signing Zeke Elliott, whose last act as a Dallas Cowboy saw him getting pancaked on the final play of the Pokes’ playoff loss in January.
Belichick without Brady is no better than Jeff “7-9 Forever” Fisher.
I agree as usual with AK185. He didn’t mention how badly teams poached Belichicks staff, which would make it very difficult for any organization to stay on top. As for Brady, if he thought he was responsible for the Patriots success and really didn’t need Bill, why did he keep signing extensions at team friendly terms?
Just because Billy B hasn’t won a SB since Brady left it doesn’t take away what Bill contributed to those SB wins. A lot of coaches haven’t won a SB since Brady left NE.
In fact only Bruce Arians, Sean McVay and Andy Reid(2x) have won a Super Bowl in the time since Brady left NE.
It is easier for The GOAT to go to a Ready-to-Win team and get a ring than it is for a Great Coach to try and add a guy (CAM NEWTON) and when a ring. When Brady left NE all I thought was damn where is he going to win next? At the same time when he left all I thought for Bill was damn who is he going to start next?
Bill finally got Mac and Big Mac made it to the playoffs as a rookie. Mac was the runner up behind Jamar Chase for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bill had his guy and everything was going fine, then the OC left for Vegas and Bill sh*t the bed and let Patricia and Judge run the offense and the team took a huge step back. (I will admit that was completely foolish on Billy B’s part). New OC will either correct the course or the Pats are going to sink to the bottom of the AFC.
Lastly, I do not fully understand the battle people wage trying to separate what those two accomplished together. It was an incredible run for the franchise. I can only pray that my Chiefs with Mahomes and Reid can match what those two managed to do together.
I guess jackazz u haven’t been watching look at what he’s spending money on special team only players when that part of the game is just about gone or how about any of his FA signings (-judon who really disappears the 2nd half of the yr) and don’t for get all those horrible draft picks ya they’ve picked a few good players Strong was a 4th last yr their best pick last year can’t stopping being a idiot and grow up already but I’m the idiot when it comes to BB ? No I just have my eyes open
They only lost McDaniels and BB’s the one who put fat boy and clueless judge as the head of the offense
Hmmm. You seem level headed and unemotional. Your virtual avalanche of detailed and scientific analysis has thoroughly intimidated me and lesser men through your daring use of name calling (using z instead of s to avoid detection by moderators? Astonishing!). You are so astute that you read between the lines of my calling Bill Belichick an idiot and applied it to yourself. That was so brilliant that even I didn’t know that I meant to do it.
And “fat boy” to mean Patricia? I did some research, and…he is both fat and a boy. I can’t believe I’ve been referring to him using his NAME this whole time. Rookie move. Maybe that’s why other people didn’t realize that it was that EXACT situation I was referencing when I said that Belichick made an idiotic move installing “fat boy” to run the offense. At least, who I THOUGHT that I was referring to. But…that couldn’t be the case, because that…would make your second comment…entirely redundant? No, probably not. I’m probably just being a jackazz (you’ve GOT to tell us how you got that past autocorrect-oh my God, I did it!).
There are two ways to look at Wheatley. One, he failed to stick on a roster of three teams that brought him in. Second, the Patriots are the fourth team to show an interest. So there’s something there.
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr….”and though he has yet to see any regular season work in the NFL, he is an ascending player that can serve as needed depth in Foxborough.”
LOL. The guy barely played in COLLEGE.
I would imagine that there’s a good chance that Wheatley is a hard worker who is very coachable. Guys like that usually get on coaches’ good sides, even if there’s not always a good roster spot for them.
Strong move