Avery may have been the forgotten man after being mentioned prominently as either an outside linebacker or part of the team's pass-rushing package at defensive end and yesterday was the first game since their loss to the Rams (the only other game) that Avery had been active.
Apparently, the Browns were willing to forget about Avery for good as they sent him to Philadelphia in return for a 2021 fourth-round draft pick.
Genard Avery wasn't forgotten as a rookie in 2018 when he was selected in the fifth round from Memphis, finished with 30 solo tackles and four and a half sacks and looked to be part of the Browns future.
However, that was under then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' system and when Williams didn't receive the head coaching job that wound up going to Freddie Kitchens and moved to the same job with the New York Jets with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks hired as the new defensive coordinator, Avery apparently wasn't a good fit for Wilks' defense and as noted, Avery was seldom active.
Suddenly, the kudos that so many (including me) were tossing John Dorsey's way for his 2018 draft have been silenced as it doesn't look nearly as strong now as it did just twelve months ago.
The second of their two second-rounders has become a star in Nick Chubb, but Austin Corbett is already gone and now Genard Avery in the fifth has been traded as well.
Baker Mayfield doesn't look like a bust, but he clearly is behind one quarterback (Baltimore's Lamar Jackson) right now in his draft class and he's still in the plenty to prove class with New York's Sam Darnold and Buffalo's Josh Allen.
The Browns other first-rounder in Denzel Ward has proven to have all the skills needed to be a top corner except being able to stay on the field and third-rounder Chad Thomas is at least playing this season but hasn't been more than a rotational player, while their two receivers Antonio Callaway (4th) and Damion Ratley (6th) have been best remembered for dropping passes rather than catching them.
What looked to be a draft to remember is showing the beginnings of being a draft from the Farmer, Banner, Mangini, Brown, Holm... Oh never mind you get it.
We aren't there yet, but you are seeing a few signs.
Genard Avery could have success with the Eagles and he wasn't noted as a problem with the Browns in the locker room, so looking at the trade by the merits, John Dorsey traded a player that he invested a fifth-round pick and added a fourth after getting a good year from the player.
Even if you have to wait two years for the return, that's not bad value, but what I'm thinking is this- the trade deadline is tomorrow at 4;00 PM and suddenly the Washington Redskins have let it be known that their Pro Bowl left tackle holdup Trent Williams is suddenly available after weeks of saying that he was not on the block.
Could it be that John Dorsey is leery of trading a first-round pick for the second round in a row after trading the 2019 top pick to the Giants for Odell Beckham and is accumulating lower picks to add to perhaps a second-rounder to make it worth the Redskins while?
It's an interesting thought and perhaps the Redskins are motivated to make a move to accommodate Williams before he sits out an entire season and loses value from sitting out an entire season, but considering Williams age (31), timing after sitting out all season and needing to sign him to a new contract, I'm afraid trading a first-rounder in an attempt to save a possible lost season would be a desperate overpay.
It will be very interesting to see if the Browns make any moves tomorrow and if so, what type?
Will they go after a Trent Williams to salvage this season and continue to bulk up on veterans?
Or could they go in the opposite direction, a direction that few have given thought to- Could they trade someone that you wouldn't think and add draft picks to continue to a rebuild that they may have attempted too much too soon and now realize that more is needed to have a firm foundation?
We will see soon.
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