7. The Cameron Erving trade
Chiefs receive: OL Cameron Erving
Browns receive: 2018 fifth-round pick
If there is one thing Veach loves to do, it is taking chances on former first-round selections. His first such move was trading for versatile offensive lineman Cameron Erving.
Erving was the 19th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, but never developed into a starting-caliber lineman for the Browns. Cleveland underwent another leadership change in the 2017 offseason, and famously cleared house. Flipping a known failure as Erving for anything was a win for that Cleveland regime.
Erving came to Kansas City with pretty low expectations and frankly did not exceed them by much. He stayed in Kansas City for three seasons, playing in 40 games with 25 starts. Erving stayed as long as he did thanks to his versatility, as he’d proven capable of playing any position on the offensive line. Erving had his best seasons in Kansas City, but take that with a grain of salt.
Oddly enough, the player picked with that 2018 fifth-round pick is currently on the Chiefs’ 90-man roster. The Browns dealt that 159th overall selection and it eventually turned into wide receiver Daurice Fountain.
Big picture: Veach landed a player who started 25 games for the Chiefs for a lowly fifth-round pick. Not every move is going to be a home run, but this trade itself was okay.