Cleveland Browns: Grading every 2018 offseason trade

Browns get 2019 third rounder; Pats get Danny Shelton, 2018 fifth-rounder; Grade D

A third-round pick for Danny Shelton? I get the feeling some stragglers around Brown Town will talk themselves into thinking this was a win.

By trading Shelton, the Browns are losing an above average player for nothing.

Shelton’s good enough to play for perennial Super Bowl favorite, but not in the Factory of Sadness.

Shelton was playing in a new scheme last season with Gregg Williams in as defensive coordinator, but he playing better toward the end of the season.

Did he live up to the price tag of being the No. 12 overall pick in the draft? Not even close. His best season came playing under Ray Horton a season ago, when he had 1.5 sacks.

Shelton’s  selection was questionable from day one. It was feared that he wasn’t a three-down player. That concern existed on the day of the draft, and well, the GM who picked him, Ray Farmer hasn’t been hired to run anyone else’s draft since being fired by the Browns.

Are the Browns really better off without Shelton? Wasn’t there a time last season that the Browns run defense was finally being recognized as “good?” We’ve waited for that just as along as we’ve been waiting for a franchise quarterback, so don’t forget who was in the middle of that mass of men: Danny Shelton.

Moving Shelton opens up opportunities for others, but having too much depth at the position isn’t a bad thing.

The low mark for this trade is based on Shelton being a decent player and the Browns getting nothing in return.

For example…

He didn’t get into the back field. It’s not a surprise. No one thought that would be a strength. He was to clog the middle, and he was a quality player.

Besides, what do the Browns need more picks and cap space for?