The Kansas City Chiefs have once again made headlines by trading for disappointing Cleveland Browns lineman Cameron Erving.
The Cleveland Browns are clearly not done selling off spare veteran parts, and the Kansas City Chiefs are clearly buyers at this point. The two teams struck a deal on Wednesday to send offensive lineman Cameron Erving to the Chiefs in exchange for a 2018 fifth round choice.
We have traded OL Cam Erving to KC for a 2018 5th round pick.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 30, 2017
Erving was a first round choice for the Browns back in the 2015 NFL Draft, when he was selected at No. 19 overall. Erving has played in 29 games the last two seasons for the Browns, but was largely considered a disappointment thus far given the hype he came into the league with. His subpar performance along the line shifted him from center to guard, and Pro Football Focus ranked him among the very worst performers along the line no matter where he lined up.
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However, coming into the 2015 draft, Erving was hailed as a dominant performer with the versatility to line up at any one of five spots—the sort of versatility the Chiefs love to have in their linemen. Perhaps it’s a chance, just like the Reggie Ragland trade from earlier this week, to get a once heralded player at a low price to see if the coaching staff can get some value from him.
Erving has a cap hit of over $2.5 million this year and over $3 million next season, and the Chiefs will have the ability to kick in a fifth year option if somehow Erving turns a corner and becomes a very productive player. Given the way they overlap and the costs involved, it’s likely that Jah Reid could be the casualty here for the Chiefs.