The Cleveland Browns made a stunning move on Wednesday, trading starting running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts and in the wake of that move, the team planning to sign free agent Willis McGahee after he passes a physical.
According to ESPN.com, the Colts acquired Richardson from the Browns for a first round pick next year and now Cleveland is looking to sign free agent running back Willis McGahee after he was previously released by the Denver Broncos in the offseason. McGahee gives the Browns a veteran presence after trading Richardson, as Bobby Rainey was behind him on the depth chart and he has never had to handle a starting amount of carries and the Browns wanted more depth.
Clearly the team has decided to give up on this season to build for the future, but at 0-2 and their starting quarterback injured, maybe it's not such a bad idea. The team acquired a first round pick for next season from the Colts and that means the Browns now have multiple picks in the first, third and fourth rounds and they are setup to make a big move if they want, or they could sit tight depending on where their draft position falls. The team missed out on making a package deal with the Rams to get Robert Griffin before last year and now the Colts have the two players taken around him in Luck and Richardson.
The Browns made a very bold move by making the trade and now they will look at a short-term solution in McGahee, who was released by the Broncos after dealing with a knee injury and the team also decided to go younger with Montee Ball, Knowshon Moreno and Ronnie Hillman. McGahee previously had some interest from the Giants, but the team opted to sign Brandon Jacobs instead since he knows their playbook better and could get into the swing of things easier. McGahee was upset when he was released from the Broncos and he has been a free agent along with Michael Turner over the summer and did not have much interest from other teams.
Richardson has had a slow start to the season after gaining over 900 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in 2012 and now they are signing McGahee, who rushed for over 700 yards despite missing the last stretch of the season with a knee injury. The Browns had no experienced players behind Richardson on the roster and now Cleveland will be stacked for next year's draft and could go after someone like Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel if they so choose. Brandon Weeden isn't starting this week after dealing with a hand injury and now it seems that the Browns have decided to pack it in already for 2013.
McGahee will be a serviceable option for the Browns in the short term and now the Colts fix their running back situation after Vick Ballard was lost for the season. The team signed Ahmad Bradshaw to be a primary running back and now the Colts have two starter-level backs and one that was a top three pick just two years ago. Richardson showed great potential as a rookie running back and now is with a different franchise and it might be best for him anyway, as his running style doesn't quite fit what Rob Chudzinski wants to do on offense.