Browns cut to 53, Trade with Titans and Packers

The NFL deadline for cutting to 53 might have come and gone, but the Cleveland Browns weren't finished at only cutting players as they swung trades to acquire two players from other teams and may make another claim or two from today's cuts as those players go through the waiver process.

Cleveland traded for wide receiver Taywon Taylor from Tennessee for an undisclosed and likely conditional 2020 draft choice and guard Justin McCray from the Packers with a 2020 conditional pick for another 2020 conditional choice.

Taywon Taylor was the Titans third-rounder in 2017 from Western Kentucky and caught 37 passes for 466 yards last season with one touchdown, usually as a slot receiver.
Taylor's acquisition would then mean that two wide receivers would have to go to make space, which turned out to be second-year man Derrick Willes and the recently signed Braxton Miller.
Nothing against Taylor, but with a small bias, I would have liked to have seen Braxton Miller make the team.
Not only because of the Buckeye background, but he could have been a plus in the return game while Antonio Callaway is away and maybe even when Callaway returns.

Justin McCray played in thirteen games last season for Green Bay after spending the previous three seasons in Tennessee.
McCray made five starts for the Packers last season and will likely be used as a backup/depth player
.
The other surprises saw the team go with rookies at kicker and punter.
Fifth-round pick Austin Seibert defeat the incumbent Greg Joseph out for the kicking job.
Neither particularly impressed for most of the camp, but Seibert was four of four in the final pre-season game against Detroit and being a draft pick, Seibert was going to be the choice if the duel was close.
Rookie punter Jamie Gillan from Arkansas-Little Rock pulled the upset of the camp by taking the job away from steady veteran Britton Colquitt.
Gillan has the much bigger leg and has an extensive rugby background that was shown with several impressive tackles in the pre-season.
Gillan seemed to have some struggles holding for kicks which is what Colquitt did in his Browns tenure, but in camp, the team gave Gillan lots of work and apparently they have become comfortable with his holding for Austin Seibert.
Colquitt doesn't have nearly the distance as Gillan's kicks, but his ability to drop the ball inside the 20 could very well be missed.

The Browns also sent their rookie quarterback in camp to the Lions as David Blough of Purdue was shipped to Detroit for a swap of 2020 seventh rounders.

I'll try to post the Ohio State win over Florida Atlantic later and I've watched some of the boxing challenge fights, but still need to finish up others.